(Updated, April 2021) A ship’s portrait of the East Indiaman ‘Northumberland’, shown at anchor in two positions off the island of St Helena. The stern view is on the left and to the right the ship is shown in starboard-broadside view with a boat tied astern. St Helena was a watering-place for both outward and homeward bound ships of the East India Company. The background includes other shipping anchored in the bay off Jamestown, the main settlement.

The ‘Northumberland’ (775 tons) was constructed in 1780 at Wells's Yard on the Thames for John Mitford and replaced an earlier vessel also named ‘Northumberland’. She first sailed for the company in June 1781, visiting St Helena and Bengal. All the voyages were under the command of Captain James Rees. The Museum also holds a logbook for the ship compiled during the last voyage of 1795-97 [DUD/13]. Another smaller 600-ton ship of the name was owned by the company from 1800 to 1816.

Neither of them should be confused with the one that took Napoleon into exile on St Helena. That was HMS 'Northumberland' (1798) of which Luny also painted a picture in 1816, now at Torre Abbey, Devon, showing Napoleon's transfer to it from the 'Bellerophon' in Torbay in August 1815.