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Oil on canvas, 71cm x 91.5cm
The paddle steamer 'Ethiope' is shown in starboard profile off the coast of West Africa, probably in the Bight of Biafra, under full steam and with all sail set.
'Ethiope' was built by Thomas Wilson of Liverpool in 1839. She was schooner rigged with three masts and was fitted with thirty horse power condensing engine. She was built for Robert Jamieson for the express purpose of finding a route via the Benin River to the main Niger River 'and at the same time to endeavour to establish a commercial intercourse with the interior.'
In April 1840 'Ethiope' began the ascent of the Benin River under the command of John Beecroft, an experienced trader and government agent. Initially frustrated in their aim, a second attempt via the Warree River, a tributary of the Benin, took them into the main Niger River and more than 400 miles up the river. However, sickness and death amongst the European crew convinced Beecroft and Jamieson that 'commerce on the Niger can only be followed by means of steam-vessels manned entirely by native Africans, under the direction of European officers and engineers well inured to the climate.'
Clearly visible on the foredeck is the 'nine-pound swivel gun' and other unspecified guns can be seen from some of the gun ports. Such armament was a necessary precaution in areas where Europeans were viewed with suspicion and hostility.
Although attributed to Heard on entering the collection, the high quality of the painting, and in particular of the figures, together with the treatment of the sea suggests that this is more likely to be the work of Samuel Walters. The painting probably dates from about 1840-45.
This painting is currently on display in the International Slavery Museum, on the third floor of the Merseyside Maritime Museum building.