Shipbuilding was once a major industry in the Jersey, and island ships traded all over the world. Many of the proud owners wanted a visual record of their ships and artists such as P J Ouless became adept at producing "ship portraits".

Although some portraits, like seascapes, depict the coastline, skies and atmosphere, the main point of these pictures was to give a detailed record of each ship and its rigging.

John Le Capelain ( 1812 - 1848)

John Le Capelain is best known for his atmospheric watercolour paintings of the island and its coastline, which were part of the Romantic Movement which reached its peak in Britain around the 1830.

In 1846 Le Capelain was commissioned to paint a series of watercolours of Jersey which were presented by the States of Jersey to Queen Victoria in commemoration of her visit to the island on 2nd and 3rd September 1846. Shortly afterwards the Queen commissioned him to do a series of views of the Isle of Wight. Whilst there he developed tuberculosis and later died.