Gray’s Inn Creek Shipyard

Description

This detailed landscape shows Richard Spencer’s shipyard, which probably existed on a tributary of the Chester River in Kent County, Maryland. The unknown artist carefully recorded almost every type of vessel sailing in the Chesapeake Bay, including brigs, schooners, and log canoes. Gray’s Inn Creek may have also served as an English customhouse. Many vessels in the harbor fly the British flag, and one is inscribed Starling. The sun is seen at upper left, with a bird in light, and trees in the background.