Travel and parting are often the subjects of Tissot’s pictures during his last years in London. He became preoccupied with images of leave taking and with themes of travel and escape. Here the flux and change of travel itself becomes the subject. Figures are no longer the centre of interest. They are pulled to the edges of the composition, which leaves the centre free for a symbolic statement of the theme: the clasped hands. The precise subject is unknown, and may suggest an episode of personal significance to the painter. Tissot has included the names of places in the painting, such as the bales on the quayside, which read ‘New York’, ‘Alabama’. The name on the ship’s boat reads ‘Old England’, acting as a visual commentary on what is being left behind on emigration. At this period the question of possible emigration to the New World influenced many who saw new opportunities denied them in England. The format of the etching reveals the extent of the rigging. This is a rare version and the flags of America and Britain have been hand coloured. Medium includes watercolour.; Signed by artist and dated in plate.