Pocock was present at the Battle of the First of June on board the 'Pegasus', one of Howe's frigates. A number of sketchbooks have survived filled with rapid sketches such as this, which reinforce the view that he witnessed what he drew. In this he followed the precedent of van de Velde the Elder some 140 years earlier. Pocock subsequently made paintings of the battle, which he exhibited at the Royal Academy in 1796 and 1797. One of these paintings, showing the duel between 'Brunswick' and 'Vengeur', is in the Museum's collection (BHC0471). If this is an on the spot study, as its technique and viewpoint suggest (see PAD8870), it appears to show the moment when Villaret-Joyeuse's flagship 'Montagne' shoots away Howe's fore topmast, preventing him fully engaging.