The Battle of Trafalgar (painting)

The Battle of Trafalgar, 21 October 1805 is an 1822 painting by British artist J. M. W. Turner. It was commissioned by King George IV as a part of a series of works to decorate three state reception rooms in St. James Palace and link the Hanoverian dynasty with military success. This work was Turner’s only royal commission, and was to stand as the pendant piece to Philippe-Jacques de Loutherbourg’s Lord Howe's action, or the Glorious First of June. This massive history painting measures 8’7” x 12’1” and was given to Greenwich Hospital shortly after its original installation. The painting now hangs in the National Maritime Museum in Greenwich, London.

This work depicts a scene from the Battle of Trafalgar, a naval battle fought between the British and Franco-Spanish fleet off Cape Trafalgar in southwest Spain. The British had twenty-seven ships to the thirty-three of the Franco-Spanish fleet. Despite this, the British came out as decisively victorious and captured or destroyed nineteen of the Franco-Spanish ships.Admiral Nelson, of the British Navy, took an unconventional approach to this battle and split his fleet into two lines, one led by his flagship Victory and the other by his subordinate Collingwood, to attack the Franco-Spanish fleet in columns perpendicular to their line. At the height of the battle Nelson was shot from a nearby French ship and mortally wounded. Despite this upsetting death, the victory at Trafalgar represented a crucial naval victory for the British. Their dominance effectively established them as the great naval power and ended Napoleon’s plans to conquer England. The significance of this battle for British history cannot be overstated. Afterwards, many citizens called for a government commissioned work of art depicting the battle. This reflected the role of the history painting and the artist by demonstrating the virtue of the hero, Lord Nelson, to the entire nation. The importance of Nelson and his tactics are referenced in Victory’s dominating position in the scene, the execution as a history painting, and Turner’s care in rendering all elements of the scene.

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