Battle Between British and Dutch Fleets, 1797
Robert Dodd, Etching, Late 18th Century

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View of the British Fleet at Noon on the 11 October 1797

View of the British Fleet at Noon
(above with detail below)

 The Dutch Fleet Defeated on the Afternoon of the 11th October 1797

The Dutch Fleet Defeated
(above with detail below)
View of the British Fleet at Noon on the 11 October 1797 The Dutch Fleet Defeated on the Afternoon of the 11th October 1797
Robert Dodd (1748-1816) (artist and engraver)
View of the British Fleet at Noon on the 11 October 1797
The Dutch Fleet Defeated on the Afternoon of the 11th October 1797
J. Brydon and Robert Dodd, London: 1798
Color-printed aquatints, finished by hand
Wove paper watermark dated 1794
20 x 28.75 inches overall (each)
Sold, please inquire as to the availability of similar items.

Pair of British maritime scenes before and after the Battle of Camperdown, a naval engagement during the French Revolutionary Wars. It took place in the North Sea off the Dutch coast on October 11, 1797 between the British navy, commanded by Admiral Adam Duncan, and the Dutch navy, commanded by Admiral Jan Willem De Winter. View of the British Fleet shows the ships in formation preparing to attack the Dutch fleet under sunny skies. The Dutch Fleet Defeated shows the wreckage in the aftermath of the battle: sails and flags with holes ripped by cannonballs, dark smoke billowing from the Dutch admiral's disabled ship, and a sailor being rescued from the water as a small boat sinks in the foreground. The original oil painting upon which the latter print was based was exhibited at the Royal Academy in 1798.

The engravings are patriotically dedicated to Admiral Duncan, Vice-Admiral Richard Onslow, second-in-command, and the "several Captains, the Officers, Seamen and Marines, who so gallantly asserted the honor of the British flag."

Robert Dodd was a British painter, etcher and aquatint engraver, who sometimes engraved and published his own works and those of his contemporaries. He began as a painter of landscapes and topographical views, but became best known for his marine and sporting subjects. In addition to portraying shipping and fishing scenes, he also painted naval battle scenes on commission. Dodd exhibited at the Royal Academy from 1782 to 1809.

John Brydon (act. 1783-1805) was a London printseller who also was a carver, gilder, frame maker and proprietor of a glass and mirror warehouse.

Full title, View of the British Fleet: View of the British Fleet at Noon on the 11 October 1797. Bearing down to attack the Dutch Fleet, under the Command of Admiral De Winter, with the Action commencing in the Rear by his Majesty's Ship the Monarch. To Admiral Lord Viscount Duncan, Commander in Chief. Vice Admiral Sir Richard Onslow Bar't Commander of the Red Division, the several Captains, the Officers, Seamen and Marines, who so gallantly asserted the honor of the British Flag. This Plate is with the greatest respect Inscribed by their obed't Servant Rob't Dodd.

Full title, The Dutch Fleet: The Dutch Fleet Defeated on the Afternoon of the 11th October 1797, shewing the Flag Ship of Admiral De Winter dismasted, and on the point of Surrendering to the British Admiral; with Views of the other Prizes. To Admiral Lord Viscount Duncan, Commander in Chief. Vice Admiral Sir Richard Onslow Bar't Commander of the Red Division, the several Captains, the Officers, Seamen and Marines, who so gallantly asserted the honor of the British Flag. This Plate is with the greatest respect Inscribed by their obed't Servant Rob't Dodd.

Full publication information: "London. Published by J. Brydon, Charing Cross, and R. Dodd No. 32 Lisson Green, March 1798.

References:

"Coloured Engraving by Robert Dodd: 'The Dutch Fleet Defeated on the Afternoon of the 11th October 1797." Europeana Think Culture. http://www.europeana.eu/portal/record/00401/F53DE915F663FE1C13DDC184F7C658D372F8E995.html (29 September 2011).

Mackenzie, Ian. British Prints: Dictionary and Price Guide. Woodbridge, Suffolk, England: Antique Collectors Club, 1987. pp. 102-103.

Maxted, Ian. "The London book trades 1775-1800: a checklist of members." Exeter Working Papers in Book History. 19 November 2009. http://bookhistory.blogspot.com/2007/01/london-1775-1800-b.html and http://bookhistory.blogspot.com/2007/01/london-1775-1800-d.html (29 September 2011).

Stephen, Leslie, ed. Dictionary of National Biography, Vol. 15. London: Smith, Elder, & Co., 1888. p. 154. Online at Google Books. http://books.google.com/books?id=0dspAAAAYAAJ (29 September 2011).

Wilson, Arnold. A Dictionary of British Marine Painters. Leigh-on-Sea, England: F. Lewis, 1967. p. 30.