'Barham' is leaving Istanbul, firing a salute before the Sultan's Palace, with the crew filling the yards and pennants flying from bow to stern. Three pinnaces are also part of the composition.
This view is one from a series depicting the voyage between England and Constantinople, starting in 1831, which was of particular interest since one of the passengers was Sir Walter Scott. The writer has suffered a series of debilitating strokes and had been advised to seek warmer climes to recover. 'Barham' took Scott to Gibraltar and Malta before leaving him at Naples, from where he returned to Scotland overland to die at home in Abbotsford in 1832. At Constantinople they collected Sir Stratford Canning, the British Ambassador to the Ottoman Empire, who spent a decade on other postings before returning to Constantinople in 1842.
Inscription: "H.M.S. Barham passing the Sultans Palace on quitting the Bosphorus 2 August 1832. Time of shortening & furling all plain sail manning yards & dressing Ship 2 1/2 Minutes." (title); "Drawn on stone by C. de. Brocktorff".
Signed by the artist. Set of six uncoloured impressions, two additional coloured. Most of set marked as litograph in Malta and dated in 1830s.