Why the Bristol became a prison hulk.

Art Gallery of Ontario

The AGO is home to the Thomson Collection of Ship Models: over 130 examples of miniaturized ships spanning hundreds of years of maritime history. One of the most important models in the collection is George Stockwell’s (1729-1805) 1774 model of the Bristol. Designed in 1768 and completed in 1775, the Bristol was a 50-gun fourth-rate ship of the line built for the Royal Navy amidst England’s war to suppress the independence movement in its American colonies. Image credit: British fourth-rate two-decker 50-gun warship: Bristol (detail) 1774 George Stockwell, (British, 1729-1805) Georgian Model, scale1:48 The Thomson Collection Art Gallery of Ontario, Toronto