View, Looking Aft, from the Port Paddle Box of the Great Eastern, Showing the Trough for the Cable, etc. 1865 - 1866

"View, Looking Aft, from the Port Paddle Box of the Great Eastern, Showing the Trough for the Cable, etc." is a watercolor on paper by Robert Charles Dudley. This 1865-1866 work depicts the stern of the Great Eastern, a famous 19th-century steamship, as viewed from its paddlebox. The image shows the ship's rigging and deck, with figures working on board, and the expansive ocean beyond. Dudley's maritime paintings are renowned for their accuracy and attention to detail. This particular work, housed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, offers a glimpse into the technological marvel that was the Great Eastern, a ship that pushed the boundaries of engineering and transportation.