The sea around the Needles has long been considered one of the most dangerous areas for sailing off the South Coast. Extending for three miles off the end of the formation are the Shingles, a bank of pebbles just below the waterline upon which myriad ships have been wrecked. With smuggling operations heavily policed by the Royal Navy, many ships were forced to navigate perilous waters in order to increase their chances of success.
The type of chase seen in this image was not unusual in the Early Modern period. While most smugglers would attempt to flee Crown officers, one incident in 1784 ‘The Battle of Mudeford’ actually saw the death of a Customs and Excise officer in a gunnery duel, further evidencing the danger of the cat and mouse play in the channel. This threat of combat is implicit in Dawson’s work, as the ship being chased appears to be far larger than the luggers that smugglers favoured. The romanticising narrative around smuggling on the Southern Coast of Britain still grips the national imagination, a mood well captured in this painting.