Town & Harbor of Cosire Red Sea

Executed in watercolour, the composition shows a loose, almost sketch‑like handling of line and colour, reflecting Moresby’s training as a naval draughtsman. Rather than adhering to conventional landscape aesthetics, the painting favours a functional, observational approach, emphasizing spatial relationships and the density of activity over decorative detail.

Seven watercolours from this survey remain in the Searight Collection, with five additional works held by the National Maritime Museum, Greenwich.

Moresby served as commander of the East India Company ship Palinurus during a series of surveys from 1829 to 1834 that mapped safe steamship routes and coaling stations along the Red Sea, Suez and Aqaba. The findings were incorporated into the Company’s 1841 Sailing Directions for the Red Sea. Seven watercolours from this survey remain in the Searight Collection, with five additional works held by the National Maritime Museum, Greenwich.

The advent of steam propulsion in the 1820s transformed Red Sea navigation, making the waterway usable throughout the year and enabling the so‑called Overland Route between Britain and India. Accurate charts and harbour depictions such as Moresby’s were essential for the safe and efficient movement of steamers and their coal supplies.

Moresby’s visual records contributed directly to the revised sailing directions that guided commercial and military traffic in the Red Sea for decades. The watercolours stand as rare documentary illustrations of early steam‑age maritime infrastructure, offering insight into the logistical challenges of 19th‑century imperial trade.