A Perspective View of the Blockade of Boston Harbour in an archival, full-sized print

We've never seen this reproduced like this: At the original size of 5' wide and 1 foot high.

. . .

"Perspective View of the Blockade of Boston, 1768," after Christian Remick (American, 1726-1773).

In 1767, the people of Boston began boycotting British goods in protest of the Townshend Acts, a series of laws that imposed new taxes on various imports like paint, lead, tea, and paper. The town also sent a circular letter to the other colonies condemning the acts and calling for a united response. This was not the first time Boston had successfully resisted unpopular British policies - they had previously forced the repeal of the Stamp Act in 1763. However, any unrest in Massachusetts was now seen as a serious threat to the Crown's increasingly firm control.

As a show of force, the British government deployed two regiments from Halifax to Boston in October 1768. A detailed watercolor painting, titled "A Perspective View of the Blockade of Boston Harbour," vividly depicts this moment, with British warships anchored off Long Wharf as troops disembarked. The artist, Christian Remick, was a self-taught sailor and painter who created at least six versions of this scene.

Remick's painting not only documents the event but also protests what the colonists viewed as tyrannical actions by King George III. It incorporates symbols like the Magna Carta to represent the rights of Englishmen that the colonists felt were being violated. The work is ornamented with figures of Native Americans, cherubs, and military devices, reflecting 18th century artistic styles.

The painting provides a window into the growing tensions between Britain and its American colonies in the years leading up to the Revolutionary War. The Boston boycott and the deployment of British troops were early flashpoints that foreshadowed the conflict to come. Remick's vivid depiction of this pivotal moment has endured as a powerful visual record of colonial resistance.

In the upper-left corner the artist provides a legend naming the ships and points of reference in the landscape:

"Explanation"

N.1. Long Wharff
N.2. Mermaid
N.3. Romney
N.4. Launcestan
N.5. Beaver
N.6. Bonetta
N.7. Senegall
N.8. Glasgow
N.9. Martin
N.10. Landing the tropes
N.11. Tenders
N.12. Castle Willam
N.13. Govers Island
N.14. Dorcester Neck
N.15. Specticle Island
N.16. Long Island
N.17. Galops Island
N.18. Nikses mate
N.19. Dear Nand
N.20. Sloop Liberty
N.21. Point Sherly
N.22. Aple Island
N.23. Nodles Island
N.24. Great Bruster

The inscription in the upper-right corner contains the title of the work, the date of the landing, and the artist's signature:

A / Perspective View of the / Blockad of Boston Harbour, / Islands & ca. men of war and /the landing the 29th and 14th / Rigiments on the first of Oct / ober 68, as taken from the end of / long wharff by: / Christian Remich.

About the paper weight and printing process: The printing process is called UV Gel and is a unique ink and curing process that intrinsically produces a durable and washable finish without the need for a laminate. In addition, since it is UV based, it has outstanding archival characteristics. Together with the specially formulated fine art media, these prints are considered archival.

Size: 12.75" x 60" 

Source: Massachusetts Historical Society

Thanks to Heather Hembrey for the photo of the framed print.