The China trade clippers 'Sir Lancelot' and 'Spindrift' anchored in an anchorage off Pagoda Island in the Min River. The area, about 12 miles east of Foochow, was frequented by Western shipping vessels as trade with China increased. Beyond the ships in the middle ground, small hills and what appears to be a large mountain loom in the background against a cloud-filled sky. The tall mountain, however, is not a real mountain, but rather, a portion of the sky that was allowed to darken in the developing process. The outline of the "mountain" ends at the top of each ship's mast.
The photograph is the first half of a long panorama of Pagoda Anchorage.
