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THE SLAVE SHIP by . Turner, 1840, Oil on canvas, 90.8 cm × 122.6 cm (35.7 in × 48.3 in) THIS PAINTING IS AVAILABLE FOR PURCHASE AS A HANDMADE OIL REPRODUCTION FROM 1ST ART GALLERY: ABOUT THIS PAINTING: The great 19th Century English painter, Joseph Mallard William Turner took inspiration from the great issues and events of his time. He immortalized the burning of Parliament on canvas, and and celebrated England’s victory, the Battle of Trafalgar. But this painting, The Slave Ship, is perhaps is his most poignant. The painting recounts the true incident of the Zong Massacre. In 1781, the slave ship, Zong departed the coast of Africa, bound for Jamaica, and overloaded with 470 slaves, twice as many as the ship could reasonably handle. Well into the voyage captain and crew decided that the depletion of water and rations were such that a number of slaves had to be jettisoned. Over the course of several days
