A ship portrait of the tea clipper ship 'Taeping' in full sail and home bound to London from Fouchow, China in the famous clipper race of 1866. The tea clipper, the 'Fiery Cross' is visible in the left background.
There was a great spirit of competition between tea clippers which would swiftly sail through the South China Sea, into the Indian Ocean, round the Cape of Good Hope, then navigate north across the Atlantic to be towed down the Thames by tug boats. The winning ship could earn a premium of up to sixpence per lb for their cargo. The races electrified the population of London. The Great Tea Race of 1866 started on May 28th was a close race between the 'Taeping,' 'Fiery Cross,' 'Serica,' and 'Ariel.' The 'Ariel' and the 'Taeping' were neck and neck entering the Channel, but the tug of 'Taeping' was faster and beat 'Ariel' by just 20 minutes. 'Serica' docked just a few hours later and the 'Fiery Cross' less than 48 hours later.
