The Fighting Temeraire

The pale sailing ship is the Temeraire, a veteran of the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805. In 1838 it was sold to be broken up and towed along the Thames to Rotherhithe. Turner painted its last journey in 1839. Joseph Mallord William Turner probably did not witness the tow. He rebuilt the scene imaginatively, restoring masts that had already been removed from the real ship and giving its hull a ghostly white-and-gold colour. These choices preserve the vessel’s height and presence beside the squat tug. Compare the tug’s smoke with the blazing clouds. The sunset connects the close of the day with the ship’s approaching end. The small engine supplies the movement while the old warship follows behind. The picture can suggest the change from sail to steam, but Turner’s interest in industry was broader than a simple rejection of new technology. He also painted railways and steamships. Here, the two forms of power share the river.