A fine 18th Century portrait of English maritime hero Sir Francis Drake.
Sir Francis Drake (1540-96) was, along with Admiral Horatio Nelson, the most celebrated mariner in British history. Born into a seafaring family in Devon, he joined the privateering crew of his cousin John Hawkins and took part in an aborted raid on Veracruz, Mexico in 1569. From 1577-9, he led the first English circumnavigation of the world, all the while preying on Spanish shipping and raiding ports in Latin America. During the same voyage, he became the first European to have been known to have visited the San Francisco region of California. In 1588, Drake played a vital role in the defeat of the Spanish Armada. His frequent and daring piratical raids in Latin America led him to be called "El Draco" (the Dragon) by the Spanish.
The present portrait is from Augustus Hervey's Naval History of Great Britain (London, 1780).