How you can use this image
This image can be used for non-commercial research or private study purposes, and other UK exceptions to copyright permitted to users based in the United Kingdom under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, as amended and revised. Any other type of use will need to be cleared with the rights holder(s).
Review the copyright credit lines that are located underneath the image, as these indicate who manages the copyright (©) within the artwork, and the photographic rights within the image.
The collection that owns the artwork may have more information on their own website about permitted uses and image licensing options.
Review our guidance pages which explain how you can reuse images, how to credit an image and how to find images in the public domain or with a Creative Commons licence available.
Notes
Add or edit a note on this artwork that only you can see. You can find notes again by going to the ‘Notes’ section of your account.
A row of prison hulks in Portsmouth Harbour is shown on the left of the picture. These hulks were ships which were no longer seaworthy and commonly had their masts reduced or removed. They were introduced in the early 1770s, when an attempt was made to alleviate the pressure on prisons and they served as a cheap alternative to building more prisons on land. They were first used on the Thames, but Portsmouth soon had some moored in Langstone and Portsmouth Harbours, together with a hospital ship. The conditions on board the hulks were unheatlhy and overcrowded, with little or no ventilation since the ports on the landward side were boarded over as a deterrent against escape. The skyline of Portsmouth is visible in the distance to the left, together with a variety of shipping at anchor.
Title
Prison Hulks in Portsmouth Harbour
Medium
oil on canvas
Measurements
H 43.2 x W 103.2 cm
Accession number
BHC1924
Work type
Painting
National Maritime Museum
Romney Road, Greenwich, London, Greater London SE10 9NF England
-
Prison Hulks in Portsmouth Harbour National Maritime Museum -
Prison Hulks in Portsmouth Harbour Hampshire Cultural Trust Headquarters, Winchester (Hampshire County Council’s Fine Art Collection) -
Prison Hulks in Portsmouth Harbour National Maritime Museum -
Promenades Aeriennes Ironbridge Gorge Museum Trust -
Prison Hulk in Portsmouth Harbour National Maritime Museum -
French Prizes in the Harbour Portsmouth Museums and Visitor Services -
Prison Hulks in Portsmouth Harbour Portsmouth Museums and Visitor Services