PBA Galleries

Aquatint, hand-colored. Image 36.8x55.5 cm (14½x21¾") on sheet 43x57.5 cm (17x22¾").

Rare aquatint of action on the high seas, as the British accelerated their attempts to curtail the ongoing slave trade. The "Almirante," a Spanish slave brig, was caught by the "Black Joke" of the British West Africa squadron following a 31-hour chase. The action was decisive, and after an 80-minute battle, the Spanish surrendered, and some 466 slaves were freed. A number of slaves may be seen in the aquatint, lining the gunwale. The "Black Joke," commanded by Lieutenant Henry Downes, was tender to the frigate HMS "Sybille," commanding officer Francis Augustus Collier, to whom the inscription dedicates this plate. OCLC/WorldCat lists only one example, at Yale University.