The Chinese artist who made this work used oil paint and canvas to create a subject appealing to clients in the United States. This ship approaches Hong Kong at dawn, flying a flag that displays the letter “G” to indicate the need for a pilot. A Chinese pilot approaches from the right to navigate the ship into port. The ship’s smallest details are visible, but the ship’s name, which was often written in the black area along the bottom edge of the painting, is missing. Because the name would have been determined by the buyer, its absence suggests a mass-produced, rather than commissioned, painting. Ship paintings like this one were especially popular in the U.S. in the middle decades of the 19th century. The ships were a source of wealth for those able to participate in the trade with China. From the early 19th century through 1840, merchants, including some Baltimoreans, exchanged Turkish opium for Chinese goods.