A painting of the paddle steamer 'Ella' by Cumbrian artist William Mitchell of Maryport (1806-1900), shown in port broadside view off simple port installations on a wooded shore. It is almost certainly a British colonial and naval harbour, given that there are three other substantial but apparently single-deck sailing warships present, though none flying flags. The canvas is inscribed and signed on the reverse: 'Blockade Runner - S.S. Ella / Captn. Barkly [sic, but perhaps correctly 'Berkeley' or 'Barclay'] / Wm. Mitchell Maryport / 1868'. The ship is uniformly painted a light 'battleship grey', with red paddle-wheels, and is flying a courtesy red ensign at the fore (which identifies the location as British territory), while the jack and ensign are both red with a slightly unclear gold saltire cross pattern. The six signal flags at the aftermast are probably the ship's international code number. The red saltire jack and ensign remain to be identified: they are not apparently American Confederacy naval colours and the picture was painted three years after the end of the American Civil War. It is therefore not clear what blockade 'Ella' might have been running in 1868 or before, though the painting might be retrospective.