William Birchall was an American born watercolorist from Cedar Rapids, Iowa who later chose to emigrate to England where he settled permanently in Hastings. From his studio there he painted well into the 20th century earning acclaim for his excellent style reminiscent of traditional 19th century marine painting.

Painting chiefly in watercolors, Birchall created many fine portraits of deep water sailing vessels and was noted as well for his pictures of shipping in and around the Thames estuary and the English channel. He was known to have traveled as far south as Gibraltar seeking authentic background for his paintings.

Birchall's images were also reproduced in numerous naval textbooks of the period including volumes of The ...