[1] It depicts the deposed Emperor of the French Napoleon as a prisoner aboard the Royal Navy ship of the line HMS Bellerophon in Plymouth Sound.

After his defeat at the Battle of Waterloo and his second abdication following the Hundred Days campaign, Napoleon tried to escape to the United States but surrendered to Bellerophon on 14 July 1815.

His painting portrays Napoleon standing at a gangway of Bellerophon in the uniform of a colonel of the chasseurs à cheval.

He appears as a great figure of history, somewhat heroic, although the draped Union Jack on the left of the picture emphasises his status as a prisoner of the victorious British.

[3] The painting was a popular success, financially allowing Eastlake to travel in Europe studying Old Masters in continental galleries.