The battle of Camperdown, 11 October 1797

This painting of the Battle of Camperdown (1801) at the Royal Museums Greenwich depicts the 1797 naval engagement where the British fleet defeated the Dutch. De Loutherbourg, who had become the leading battle and marine painter in England, produced this monumental canvas as a patriotic commission. His Eidophusikon—a miniature mechanical theatre of moving painted scenes with elaborate sound and lighting effects—was enormously influential in developing the panorama and diorama entertainments...

The vast naval engagement is depicted with dramatic atmospheric effects—cannon smoke, stormy skies, and churning seas. De Loutherbourg's theatrical background (he designed stage sets for David Garrick) is evident in the dramatic lighting.