The Fleet Off the Coast, Beachy Head
Samuel Atkins (British, 1760–1810)
c. 1790–1805
Medium
watercolor with graphite underdrawing
Dimensions
{"sheet":{"height":0.344,"width":0.484}}
Classification
Drawing
Department
Drawings
Museum
Cleveland Museum of Art
Credit
Gift of Lowell Libson in honor of Mr. and Mrs. Alfred M. Rankin Jr.
Accession Number
2011.411
Tags
male
About this artwork
This watercolor depicts the breathtaking headlands of Beachy Head, the highest, most dramatic chalk sea cliffs in the United Kingdom. A marine painter active during the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars, Samuel Atkins patriotically associated Britain’s identity with its coastal geography and famous navy. A fleet of sailing vessels is seen in the distance in full sail, suggesting a rare moment of the entire fleet’s departure.