The artist John Cleveley the Elder adopted a conventional formula for this ship portrait showing the vessel both from its starboard side and its stern off the English coast and a fortified harbour town. An alternative title for this painting is 'The East Indiaman Princess Royal shown in two positions off Sheerness', and it is dated to 1770. The 499-ton 'Princess Royal' undertook two voyages for the East India Company both of which visited China. The first took place between 1770-1771, the second between 1772-1774. The owner of the vessel was Alexander Hume while the captain on both voyages was Robert Ker. Charles Hardy indicates that a vessel with the same name, captain and owner undertook two further voyages between 1777 and 1781; however the tonnage of that vessel was recorded as 864 tons.