Naval Review RMG PW2266, William Lionel Wyllie

Naval Review
It is difficult to establish the event that this watercolour depicts, although it must be around 1900. It could either be the 1897 Diamond Jubilee Review or the 1901 Naval Pageant, but neither quite fits what is shown. At the 1897 Review the liners ‘Danube’ and ‘Campania’ carried dignitaries but the liner Wyllie has included (to the left of centre, stern view) is neither of these. At the Naval Pageant held after Queen Victoria’s death, the Union Castle liners ‘Scot’ and ‘Dunvegan Castle’ carried members of the House of Commons and the House of Lords.
Wyllie's liner has the correct hull and funnel colours to be a Union Castle ship but neither of these liners had yards on the foremast and neither of them was four-masted. The presence of the four-funnelled ship indicates that 1895 is the earliest date, and likewise, the paint scheme of the ships places 1901 as the latest date. But the juxtaposition of the broadside ironclad on the extreme right with the four-funnelled cruiser nearer the centre does not reflect the fleet positions in the 1897 Review.
Through his connections with the Navy Wyllie was usually present at events such as this, as described by his wife, M.A. Wyllie, in 'We Were One' (1935), her memoir of their life together.

Naval Review