The ship portrayed in this painting has no identifying markings, but is known to be a fast Yankee frigate, one of an important fleet which were the marvel of their day. Smaller than a great ship-of-the-line, they were fast and lethal. But as the young American gov-ernment’s treasury was greatly restricted, only a handful of these modest Georgia oak and New England pine vessels were built. Unbur-dening the mighty British navy of the myth of its invincibility, these slight ships became the envy of the world’s naval architects.Angling the ship to veer across the canvas, Clark has dramatized the craft with sails luffed to show her speed, agility and stealth.