The International Exhibition: The Admiralty Department Of The Naval Court

The International Exhibition: the Admiralty Department of the Naval Court, 1862. 'The subject selected for our Engraving is that part of the Naval Court devoted to the contributions of the Lords of the Admiralty, consisting almost entirely, as a matter of course, of models of fighting-ships, constructed at the Royal dockyards during the last hundred years, with many elaborate and beautiful miniature vessels of a much earlier date; among the latter the Great Harry, the first man-of-war belonging to our Royal Navy, built in fourteen hundred and eighty- eight; the Royal Sovereign and the Royal William, ships of nearly two hundred years' later date, showing a wonderful advance upon the earlier vessel; and another century later the unfortunate Royal George, the foundering of which at Spithead, with nearly all hands, is one of the saddest records of our naval history. There is, in fact, scarcely anything connected with nautical matters, as far as the vessels themselves and their complete equipment is concerned, that any one curious for information and instruction may not find elaborately illustrated in this and the other parts of this most interesting portion of the place'. From "Illustrated London News", 1862. Creator: Smyth. (Photo by The Print Collector/Heritage Images via Getty Images)