Battle of Trafalgar 21st October 1805, Plate 1; The British Fleet breaking the French & Spanish line. An engraved and hand-coloured map 34, A. K. Johnston, Atlas to Alison's History of Europe, 1850

Battle of Trafalgar 21st October 1805; The British Fleet breaking the French & Spanish line - a historical hand-coloured illustration (plate 1, map 34), engraved by A.K. Johnston for Atlas to Alison's History of Europe, published by W. Blackwood & Sons, Edinburgh & London, in 1850 (our shop also offers a colour-matched Plate 2 of the later stage of the battle).

Alexander Keith Johnston (1804 - 1871) was a Scottish geographer and cartographer. His initial interest to geography was inspired by inaccuracy of maps Johnston used in his early years hiking in West Highlands. After graduating from University of Edinburgh he joined his brother in printing business "W. & A. K. Johnston" which used the clan motto "Ready Aye Ready" as their logo. The rest of Johnston's life was devoted to geography and map making. Among other works, Johnston created the first English language physical globe of the world, and an atlas of military geography to accompany Alison's History of Europe, first published in 1848. The company W & A K Johnston were appointed engravers to King William IV and Johnston was later elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh.

The Battle of Trafalgar (21 October 1805) was a naval engagement fought by the British Royal Navy against the combined fleets of the French and Spanish navies during the War of the Third Coalition (August–December 1805) of the Napoleonic Wars (1803–1815). Twenty-seven British ships led by Admiral Lord Nelson aboard HMS Victory, defeated thirty-three French and Spanish ships of the line under French Admiral Villeneuve. The battle took place off the southwest coast of Spain, just west of Cape Trafalgar. The Franco-Spanish fleet lost twenty-two ships, and the British lost none. Prior to the battle, Vice Admiral of the Royal Navy, Horatio Nelson, has sent his famous signal "England expects that every man will do his duty" from his flagship HMS "Victory".

This poster is a high quality "giclée" reproduction of a restored antique original, custom-printed on Standard Single-weight Matt Coated art paper 140gsm or  Heavyweight Matt Coated art paper 230gsm (more of a thin card density), or superb Epson Matt Canvas 320gsm, according to your choice. We use the latest UltraChromeHDX pigment inks which guarantee 60 years of colour  permanence (up to 200 years fade-proof for colour prints).  This poster is suitable for mounting and framing, as well as direct display on a wall.