Focus on Lord Howe's Action, or the Glorious First of June and explore the Historical background.
The painting was commissioned by V. and R. Green and Christian von Mechel, engravers and publishers, for £500.  They had in 1793 commissioned the equally large The Siege of Valenciennes from him, and this painting of the naval battle was intended to accompany it.  Both paintings were intended for engraving (prints of them were produced by James Fittler, with 'Glorious First' coming out in January 1799 and 'Valenciennes' in 1801) and public exhibition (from 2 March 1795 at the Historic Gallery, Pall Mall, thus garnering interest for the images' publication, and on tour after their sale to Mr T. Vernon of Liverpool in 1799).  James Gillray, as with Louthebourg's 'Valenciennes', gave Louthebourg help with painting the figures (Gillray had accompanied the army carrying out the siege).
Shown at Edinburgh in 1800, Vernon later sold them separately, with the 'Valenciennes' eventually finishing up in Lord Hesketh's collection at Easton Neston.  The 'Glorious First' was purchased early in the 19th century for the Royal Collection by the Prince of Wales, who displayed it at St James's Palace and - after his accession to the throne in 1820 - commissioned J. M. W. Turner's The Battle of Trafalgar as a pendant for it.  However, Turner's piece was criticised for perceived factual inaccuracies, and so George gave both the 'Trafalgar' and 'Glorious First' to the Naval Gallery at Greenwich Hospital in 1829 as one of his last gifts to them.
Valenciennes The Siege of Valenciennes Pall Mall publisher Prince of Wales Lord Hesketh Liverpool Easton Neston James Gillray Royal Collection J. M. W. Turner The Battle of Trafalgar James Fittler St James's Palace Greenwich Hospital engraver