A triple portrait of the East India Company ship ‘Royal Charlotte’. In the centre the ship is shown broadside-on with figures working in the rigging. The far left shows the ship bow view and on the right the ship is stern view in full sail. The coast and a town can be glimpsed in the distance and small boats sail past on either side of the ship in the foreground.

There were two Indiamen called the ‘Royal Charlotte’ dating between 1764 and 1785 which made a total of eight voyages. The size of the ship in this painting indicates that this is more likely to be the earlier ship which worked for the company between 1764 and 1768.