The GREAT WESTERN

Hand colored lithograph

Hand colored lithograph after a painting by Joseph Walter (Eng., 1783 - 1856), E. Duncan lithographer; starboard view of GREAT WESTERN under steam, sails furled, crowds on deck, British and American flags flying; surrounded by small rowboats, sailboats, two other steam powered vessels and one large sailing vessel; l. left beneath image, "J. Walter Pinxt E. Duncan Litho."; titled "The GREAT WESTERN"; beneath titile: "Passing Portishead point on her first Voyage to New York / To the Directors & Proprietors of the Great Western Steamship Company / Who, with courage and perseverance scarcely paralleled (considering it was formerly pronounced by Scientific Men to be quite impracticable) have, with the aid of their talented Engineer, Mr Brunel, triumphantly succeeded in establishing a Steam Communication with the / United States; and thereby have shed an additional lustre on their Native City: This Plate is most respectfully dedicated by The Publisher. / Extreme Length 236 ft. Length on Deck 216 ft. Keel 205 ft. Width 35 ft. Width over the Paddle Boxes 59 ft. Depth 23 ft. Register Tonnage 1320 2 Engines of 200 Horsepower each."; GREAT WESTERN's first Atlantic crossing, April 1838.