A portrait of the steam yacht 'Ross Winans' breaking through choppy waters. Designed by the American inventor and engineer, Ross Winans (1796-1877), she was a prototype iron-clad vessel nicknamed "cigar ship" due to her unusual shape. Winans experimented with a series of cigar-shaped vessels in the 1850s and 1860s. He envisioned a streamlined ship with minimal superstructure that would cut through the water with greater efficiency. Despite his investment in the project, none of the Winans ship designs were widely adopted. In the print, her two propellers are prominently visible, and the flat stream of trailing smoke alludes to her speed and power. She stands in stark contrast with the traditional, square-rigged sailing vessel in the left background.
