AMERICAN CLIPPER FLYING CLOUD

For two glorious decades in the mid- nineteenth century, the world’s great sea trading routes were dominated by the magnificent ‘Yankee Clippers’. And none were finer or more famous than the American clipper Flying Cloud, legendary for her world beating speed records, some of which stood for 100 years, and for having a female Navigator - unheard of in 1854!

Captured here in Robert Taylor’s compelling work as she arrives at Hong Kong en-route to load tea at Foochow, Flying Cloud is surrounded by all the exotic hustle and bustle of the Orient. Her long slim hull, towering masts and sharply raked bows hint of her breathtaking speed that will be vital for delivering her return cargo. For this is the height of the China tea trade when Captains hell-bent on glory with fabulous profits to be made, drove these mighty clippers relentlessly through the world’s windswept seas at breathtaking speed.