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'Campania at the Spithead Review, 1897' by Parker Greenwood

Oil on canvas, 61.5 x 115cm

The Review of the Fleet at Spithead on 26 June 1897 for Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee was one of the grandest naval occasions ever held. Several famous merchant ships attended, partly to accommodate the guests. This view shows 'Campania', then the pride of the Cunard fleet, steaming between the lines of the battleships.

'Campania' and her sistership 'Lucania' were ordered in 1891. They were as Cunard's response to recently launched rivals on the transatlantic service - White Star's 'Teutonic' (1889) and the Inman liner 'City of New York' (1888). At the launch in 1893 they were described as 'the most magnificently appointed passenger liners in the world'.