The Brig was Le Gray’s first exhibited seascape and his most highly praised. Its appeal derives largely from the poignancy of the little ship seen alone against an immensity of sea and sky. It was enthusiastically greeted in the photographic press for its technical accomplishment, capturing light and atmosphere, and was widely exhibited at Photographic Society exhibitions in Britain and France. The Brig became probably the most famous photographic image in Europe during the late 1850s and 1860s. It may also be the first example of a photograph conceived as fine art to achieve both commercial success and critical admiration. The London photographic dealers Murray & Heath reported 800 prints being ordered within the first two months of its being offered for sale. To facilitate printing of such numbers, copy negatives of the original image were made.

Le Gray made a series of seascapes that was famous for capturing dramatic lighting and weather conditions. He used glass negatives that were the same size as his photographs (around 40 x 30 cm). He placed the negative directly on top of photographic paper and printed in sunlight. The prints were then toned in a solution of gold chloride in hydrochloric acid. This resulted in a rich, violet-purple colour and had the added benefit of stabilising the images to help them withstand fading over time.

Most of the V&A’s fine group of Le Gray seascapes came to the Museum in 1868 as part of the bequest of the millionaire art collector Chauncy Hare Townshend. He had kept them in portfolios along with his watercolours, etchings and engravings. They have therefore remained in excellent condition, preserved to museum standards almost since they were made.