2-744-060 - Heritage Art/Heritage Images

The Fleet Off the Coast, Beachy Head, c. 1790-1805. The breathtaking headlands of Beachy Head, the highest, most dramatic chalk sea cliffs in the United Kingdom, are depicted in this watercolour. A marine painter active during the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars, Atkins patriotically associated Britain’s identity with its coastal geography and famous navy. A fleet of sailing vessels is depicted offshore in full sail, suggesting a rare moment of the entire fleet’s departure.