The Blockade of Boston Harbour
A Perspective View of the Blockad[e] of Boston Harbour
Watercolor on laid paper by Christian Remick, circa 1768
32.6 cm x 155.5 cm
This watercolor by Christian Remick depicts Boston Harbor with British warships at anchor off Long
Wharf while their troops disembark. The central banner cites the Magna Carta, which symbolized
individual rights and the accountability of the king to the law. In 1767, Boston began a boycott of British
goods to protest the Townshend Acts, which included new taxes on paint, lead, tea, and paper. Boston
leaders sent a circular letter to the other colonies protesting the laws and calling for an inter-colonial
conference on the matter. Unrest in Massachusetts was seen as a threat to British rule, so the British prime
minister sent two regiments to Boston in October 1768. This painting both documents and protests this
newest act of tyranny against the American colonies. A key in the upper left corner identifies ships and
points of reference.
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Found on the Massachusetts Historical Society website
http://www.masshist.org/database/234