The Great Eastern Under Weigh, July 23rd, 1865: Escort and other Ships, H.M.S. Terrible, H.M.S. Sphinx, The Hawk and Revised: The Caroline

Art Historical Context

In this delicate watercolor over graphite, heightened with touches of gouache Robert Charles Dudley captures a pivotal maritime moment: the colossal steamship *Great Eastern* setting sail on July 23, 1865, escorted by H.M.S. *Terrible*, H.M.S. *Sphinx*, *The Hawk*, and *The Caroline*. Created between 1865 and 1866, the intimate 7¼ × 12½-inch sheet exemplifies 19th-century maritime drawing techniques, where precise graphite underdrawing allows for luminous watercolor washes and opaque gouache accents to evoke the drama of sea and sail. The scene commemorates the *Great Eastern*'s role in the transatlantic telegraph cable expeditions, a technological triumph that connected Europe and America by wire. Designed by Isambard Kingdom Brunel, this engineering marvel—capable of carrying 4,000 passengers—was repurposed to lay the first durable cable in 1866 after earlier failures. Donated to the Metropolitan Museum of Art in 1892 by Cyrus W. Field, the project's financier, Dudley's work offers a firsthand glimpse into an era of bold innovation, blending naval grandeur with the dawn of global communication. Dudley's precise, atmospheric style highlights the ships' scale and motion against a vast ocean, inviting visitors to ponder how such feats shrank the world. A gem of the Drawings and Prints department, it bridges art, history, and human ambition.

About the Artist

Robert Charles Dudley · 1813–1913

British, 1826–1909