Hand-coloured.The ‘Flying Cloud’ was a very fast ship and set the record for the passage from New York to San Francisco, which she accomplished in 89 days (unpublished catalogue of the Macpherson Collection by Henry Parker). Here she is shown in open sea under full sail in three positions, the main and central depiction being starboard-broadside on, with a distant coastline faintly visible at right.

Inscribed: “To Messrs Grinnell Minturn & Co. This Print of their Splendid Clipper by the Publisher”; with details of the ship’s dimensions on either side of the inscription. Signed in plate by Butterworth bottom-right, although E. Brown’s name is followed by “Del.” when inscribed below at bottom-left.

J. E. Buttersworth omitted the “s” when he wrote his name here although it is usually included when referring to him. He was born on the Isle of Wight in 1817 but emigrated to the USA about the middle of the century. In the collection there is an oil (BHC3344) which is possibly based on this print.