A view of a shore in Milford Haven with the 'Leviathan,' or as it was more commonly known, SS 'Great Eastern,' in the distance. Designed by Isambard Kingdom Brunel and built by J. Scott Russell at Milwall under the Eastern Steam Navigation Company, the auxiliary steamship was to be the largest steamship to be built in the mid-1800s. She was to be capable of carrying 4,000 passengers and navigate a non-stop trip to Australia. The ship was so large that launching the ship broadside took several attempts. The size of the ship required multiple propulsion systems: a single screw and paddle wheels, with auxiliary sail power.
On shore, men and women in top hats gather to talk and wait to aboard/disembark rowing boats. Children play with a toy ship on the water's edge. A large fortress is in the right middleground. The cannons and guards positioned on the roof of the fortress defy logical perspectival understanding as they are depicted too small for their perceived distance. A town and other sailing vessels are in the background.
