A view of the racing yacht 'America' starting the race of the Royal Yacht Squadron's 53-mile regatta around the Isle of Wight, which she completed ahead second place by 18 minutes. 'America' was built for a syndicate of American yachtsmen as a response to The Great Exhibition of 1851, which was an exhibition showcasing to the world British cutting-edge science and technology. The yacht attracted enormous attention from yachtsmen, shipbuilders, and boatmen as her new design influenced international yacht building.
The print depicts 'America' with her signature steeply raked masts and almost wedge shaped hull in full sail in the middle ground. A shore and the sails and masts of other ships are discernable in the background. In the left foreground is a small boat rowed by two men.
