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Charles Napier Hemy was born in Newcastle in 1841, the son of a composer. When he was ten his family moved to Australia and for a time the young Charles worked as a gold miner. He returned to England in the late 1850's with the intention of entering the priesthood but shortly before taking his final vows, he changed his mind and decided to become a professional painter. He returned to Newcastle and studied at the Newcastle Art School.
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Hemy exhibited over eighty times at the Royal Academy from 1865 until his death in 1917. In the 1880's he moved to Falmouth and from this point devoted his career to marine painting. While his early coastal scenes show a strong Pre-Raphaelite influence, particularly in the detailed rocks, by this time his style was becoming freer. A keen sailor himself, his deep understanding and love of the sea is evident in his works and a favourite device was to place the horizon quite high on the canvas in order to depict the full majesty of the sea. As a result, the top of the ship masts are often truncated, as in the present painting.
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