An artistic interpretation of the surrender of the Dutch fleet following the Battle of Camperdown, 11 October 1797. This battle was fought in the wake of the Battle of St Vincent, 14 February 1797, and the Channel mutinies of May 1797. The mutinies led to a reduction in available British warships that was potentially disastrous. In accordance with the French plan to invade Ireland, the Dutch fleet under Vice-Admiral de Winter left the Texel to join up with the Brest fleet. Throughout 1797, Admiral Duncan had been watching the Dutch fleet in Den Helder. Early in October, Duncan took the fleet to Yarmouth to restore and refit. The Dutch immediately seized their opportunity to put to sea. The cutter 'Black Joke' was dispatched from the small lookout force to warn the Admiral. Duncan put to sea immediately and early on the morning of 11 October the two fleets were in sight. The action began at 12.30pm 18 miles off the coast. This painting depicts Duncan standing on the quarter-deck of his flagship, the 'Venerable', 74 guns, receiving the surrender of the Dutch Admiral de Winter. Duncan is shown in full-length facing slightly to the right, in admiral's undress uniform, 1795–1812. He is positioned on the left side of the painting and with his right hand he ushers the Dutch admiral out of the picture and into the cabin. He holds his hat in his left hand and de Winter, wearing a greatcoat, approaches Duncan from the right of the picture. The Dutchman also holds his hat in his left hand and, with his right, he offers his sword to Duncan. Other figures in the picture, left to right, are Mr Protins the pilot, Mr Burnet, Duncan's secretary; also Lieutenant Little, Lieutenant Kenton, Mr Hamilton of the cutter 'Active', 12 guns, Lieutenant Cleland, the first lieutenant of the 'Venerable', and Lieutenant Skinner with his head tied up in a spotted handkerchief. Between and behind Duncan and de Winter, left to right are, Lieutenant Oswald and Captain Sir William Fairfax. The latter is depicted full-length facing to left, in captain's (over three years) undress uniform, 1795–1812. He is wearing knee boots and carries his hat in his left hand, and with his right hand he is presenting de Winter to Duncan. Behind are Midshipman Thompson, Major Trollop RM, Mr Brown (a pilot), Mr Patterson, the Master, and Lieutenant Richardson of the 'Circe', 28 guns. Jack or John Crawford is descending the shrouds. When Duncan's flag was shot away, Crawford, a sailor from the 'Venerable', took another up to the main top-gallant masthead and, in the absence of halliards, nailed it to the mast. He is depicted full-length, full face, and wearing a blue coat, red waistcoat and neutral coloured trousers. He is above the group on the 'Venerable's' quarterdeck. In his right hand he carries the marlin spike he used to nail the flag to the mast. To the right of de Winter at the break of the quarter-deck are, left to right, Midshipman Clarke, William Granville, a seaman, Mr Cresses, the boatswain, Robert Williams, boatswain's mate, Lieutenant O'Melly RM and van Bruggen, a marine. On the companionway below are Home, a sailor, with Somerset, a black seaman. In the right foreground is Peter Gaffney, a gunner. Behind these last two groups can be seen the bow of the 'Monarch', 74 guns, in port-broadside view. To the left of this and further off is a group of four ships, two being prizes. In the central background is the cutter 'Active', 12 guns, and the Dutch 'Hercules', 64 guns, which is on fire. In the left background are two more British ships with their prizes, the nearest being the 'Ardent', 64 guns, with the Dutch ‘Alkmaar', 56 guns, and the three-masted lugger 'Speculator'. The portraits of Duncan, Crawford and Fairfax were done in the months following Camperdown, reportedly from life sketches made on board the ‘Venerable’. Orme was a miniaturist and engraver, who in 1792 became the impresario of a history painting and print-publishing business. Initially, he worked in collaboration with the American artist Mather Brown, who produced paintings of recent events which Orme then engraved and published, the pair dedicating themselves to the representation of military and naval subjects. Orme referred to his Holles Street exhibition room and print shop as the ‘British Naval and Military Gallery’ and continued to operate under this title after his partnership with Brown dissolved sometime around 1797, at which point Orme took on the role of painter as well as engraver and publisher. His first solo projects were this painting and one depicting ‘Nelson Receiving the Surrender of the 'San Josef' at the Battle of Cape St Vincent, 14 February 1797’ (see BHC0493). On 21 November 1797, Orme published an etching of John Crawford of the ‘Venerable’, which announced his intention to produce a painting of Duncan’s victory (see PAD3447). In December 1797, he published two portrait prints depicting Duncan and de Winter based on his own miniatures, which had been exchanged by the two admirals as tokens of regard (see PAD3075 and PAD3194). Orme published his engraving after this painting with an accompanying key in August 1800 (see PAH7914 and PAI7800). The previous year, he had sent an advanced copy of the print to the Dutch Admiral de Winter. In a letter now held by National Museums Scotland, de Winter thanked Orme for ‘the very excellent and artful engraving you had the kindness to send me’ but suggested that the event depicted never took place. The Dutchman claimed that he had not presented his sword to Duncan because ‘my defence and conduct at the time of the action [gave] me the right to keep, still, my sword on my side’. He asserted that the British admiral ‘took my hand in coming on his board, wishing me luck to escape so well without any wound after such a terrible fire and engagement’. (Updated April 2019.)