Half Model of an 18-Gun Brig c. 1826

This anonymous half model of an 18-gun brig was probably made in either Britain or America to demonstrate the shape and design of such a vessel. The precise date of the model remains unknown, but we can say with confidence that it represents the culmination of centuries of British naval power, and the global projection of this power through maritime trade. The cultural resonance of seafaring is evident in everything from sea shanties to marine painting. Yet, the growth of maritime trade went hand in hand with the growth of slavery. An 18-gun brig was a warship of some significance, but ships of similar size were used in the transportation of enslaved people across the Atlantic. Historians use a range of archival sources such as ship manifests, log books, and the records of companies involved in maritime trade to piece together an accurate picture of our past.