Loss of the Steamboat Swallow: While on Her Trip, from Albany to New-York, on Monday Evening April 7th 1845

Nathaniel Currier

National Gallery of Art

The image shows a scene with a sinking steamboat named "SWALLOW" amidst stormy seas. The waves are tumultuous and dark, with smoke and clouds filling the horizon. The ship is sinking, with flames and smoke rising from its smokestacks. The water is chaotic with rough brushstrokes, and the color palette includes black, grey, orange, yellow, and white. Figures are seen in the water and smaller boats are struggling nearby.