Images

Captain Christopher Gunman, oil on canvas, by an unknown artist, c. 1670–5. Gunman's right hand rests on the muzzle of a cannon, establishing him as the captain of a man-of-war. The loss of his left hand is discreetly hidden by his sleeve...

Portrait of Admiral Sir John Berry, oil on canvas, Michael Dahl, c. 1689, painted a few years after the sinking of the Gloucester, by which time Sir John Berry had been made vice admiral of the red squadron. The ship in the background flying...

James, Duke of York, (1633-1701), painting by Henri Gascar, 1672-1673. James is shown in characteristic martial pose, drawing on classical imagery. National Maritime Museum, Greenwich, London, Greenwich Hospital Collection.

Samuel Pepys (1633-1703), oil on canvas by Godfrey Kneller, 1689, a superb portrait that reveals both the truculence and intelligence of Samuel Pepys. His life-long friend, William Hewer, also had his portrait done by Sir Godfrey Kneller...

The Wreck of the 'Gloucester' off Yarmouth, 6 May 1682, oil on canvas, by Johan Danckerts, c. 1682. The painting shows James in the stern of a small boat being rowed away from the sinking Gloucester, while red-coated soldiers take an axe...

An 1879 painting titled 'Remnants of an Army' by Elizabeth Thomson showing Dr William Brydon, the sole European survivor of the Retreat from Kabul in 1842 during the First Anglo-Afghan War (1838-42). (Tate Britain)

Portrait of Éléonore Duplay (1768-1832) eldest daughter of cabinetmaker and Jacobin supporter Maurice Duplay. In 1791, French revolutionary leader Maximilien Robespierre began lodging with the Duplays, and there were rumors that he and Éléonore...

A terracotta bust of French revolutionary leader Maximilien Robespierre (1758-1794), by French sculptor Claude André Deseine, 1791. Currently in the Museum of the French Revolution since 1986. Photo credits to Wikipedia user Rama.

A map illustrating the rise and expansion of the Sassanid Empire (also known as Erānshahr, "the Domain of the Iranians/Aryans" or Neo-Persian Empire.) Named after the House of Sasan, it was the longest-lived Persian imperial dynasty, enduring...

A portrait of Shah Shuja, King of the Afghan Empire from 1803 to 1809 and the proposed candidate to rule Afghanistan of the British East India Company during the First Anglo-Afghan War (1838-42). (National Army Museum, London)