James Jenkins

 

In 1814-15, James Jenkins published a series of fifty-two aquatint plates under the title The Martial Achievements of Great Britain and Her Allies, From 1799 to 1815.  The collection was issued in thirteen monthly parts, dedicated “with Permission to his Grace the Duke of Wellington” and each giving a resumé of forthcoming plates. 

 

The work was commissioned to celebrate British military successes in the Napoleonic Wars.  Publication began in 1814 and enjoyed a high degree of popularity, which was enhanced by the subsequent defeat and capture of Napoleon at Waterloo in 1815. The final two plates depict scenes from the Battle of Waterloo whilst a further plate issued in 1815 showed the Duke of Wellington and Blucher, together with other allied leaders and generals, grouped around Napoleon confined in a bottle.  As well as campaigns against the French, Jenkins’ Martial Achievements also documented battles against the Spanish and Portuguese.  One of the plates, The Storming of Montevideo, was the only one of the series to depict an American scene.

 

In 1817, Jenkins issued a further series of fifty-five aquatint plates, this time focusing on naval battles, under the title The Naval Achievements of Great Britain, From the Year 1793 to 1817.  The collection was unprecedented: prior to 1817 there had been no similar publication recording naval events, spanning a period of more than twenty years.

 

Jenkins’ Naval Achievements presents a retrospective account of the Napoleonic Wars fought at sea, documenting British successes for posterity.  The majority of the series depicts clashes between individual ships and the capture of enemy ships, but the most sought-after plates are those showing the formations of entire fleets.  Particularly notable are those of the famous battles of Copenhagen, The Nile, Cape St. Vincent and Trafalgar.  The series also included fine portraits of Lord Nelson and the Earl of St. Vincent.

 

Based on paintings by Thomas Whitcombe (c.1760-1824), most of the plates in both series were engraved by Thomas Sutherland (1785-1850) using aquatint, a form of etching by tones rather than lines.  The original colouring and striking accuracy of the plates, together with Sutherland’s reputation as one of the most important aquatint engravers of the Regency period, make his work of outstanding quality and highly collectable.