Date: 1800

Medium: Pen, ink and wash drawing within an ink-ruled border, titled in the margin beneath in ink in a contemporary hand.

Measurements: Image Size: 6.625 x 9.85 in. (18.83 x 25.02 cm.) Sheet Size: 7.625 x 10.625 in. (19.37 x 27 cm.)

Description: An original drawing with a Royal Navy warship firing her cannon out to sea. A fine early view recalling St. Lucia's turbulent past.

Gallery Note: This early 20th century view of the volcanic island of St. Lucia in the Lesser Antilles chain of the West Indies, attributed to the artist William Henry, captures the lush beauty of this mystical island’s capital of Castries and its surrounding harbor. Home to the iconic volcanic peaks,The Pitons, St. Lucia has also played an important role in history: In December 1778, during the American Revolutionary War, the island — then a French colony — was the site of an invasion by the British Royal Navy, who gained control of the island following the Battle of St. Lucia and then the Battle of the Morne de la Vierge. Despite the island being returned to France during peace negotiations between Great Britain, France, and the U.S. in 1783, the British victory on St. Lucia signalled a key turning point for British power in the Caribbean, which served to diminish future prospects for a Post-Revolution French-American military alliance.