This oil painting's as-received title was 'The paddle steamer Earl of Hardwicke [sic] under way'. The East Indiaman Earl of Hardwick was built in London in 1838 by Richard Green for the family's Blackwall line. She was of 852 tons (though later classed as 961). Although there is no indication of it in Lloyd's Register, she and her sister ship, the 'Vernon' were built as steam-assisted vessels with 30 h.p. paddles as shown here, but this was not a success and they were removed from both ships. There is a print by W. H. Prior (see PAH9320), inscribed to this effect, with the paddles off but the shafts and her funnel still in place. Green and Wigram's 'Annals of Blackwall Yard' (1881) alternatively give the engines as of 100 h.p. The location of the painting is uncertain but probably in the lower Thames, but if the lugger on the left is intended to be French the tricolour wrongly has red in the middle rather than white.

This oil painting's signature and date, in large letters bottom left, have hitherto been recorded as 'Bulland 1839'. It is probable, however, that this is a misreading for G. W. Butland of whom there are four other similarly styled oils in the NMM collection, two also like this of Green family provenance and also dated 1839. BHC3532 shows the Owen Glendower which was sister to both Earl of Hardwick and Vernon, which was designed with paddles though they were removed before he first voyage: BHC3633 shows the Seringapatam. Green's bill of sale of the Earl of Hardwick is in NMM MS GRN 14.