A depiction of a barge race, once a popular event on the Thames, by the marine artist William Lionel Wyllie. Barge racing reached a peak in the latter half of the 19th century. The most famous race, the Thames Match, which begins and ends at Gravesend, was initiated in 1863 and continues to this day. However there are now only about 20 barges with original hulls that are in race-worthy condition. Wyllie himself owned and sailed a Thames barge for a number of years, which he converted into a floating studio.