Matilda Wattenbach was built under special Lloyd's Registry of Shipping survey in 1853 by Frederick C. Clark in Jersey, England for J.J Helhuish and T.H.A. Wattenbach. The ship measured 210 feet in length, 35 feet in beam, 20 feet in depth of hold, and 1,058 tons. It first appears in Lloyd's Register in 1854. The Matilda Wattenback was a metal-sheathed vessel that traded between Great Britain and New Zealand and later participated in the China trade. In 1864 the ship's name changed to Race Horse.
The painting shows a front view of the ship under full sail from off the port bow. Montague Dawson (1895-1973) was a British painter whose father and grandfather were also well-known artists. During World War I he illustrated naval engagements. After the war, he specialized in the portrayal of clipper ships in full sail.
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