View of the Prospect Plantation, the property of Sir William Struth...

£3,000 · Offered by Maggs Bros Ltd

Inscribed “To Sir William from an old friend in S.V. 25 July 1821.” This beautifully rendered original pen and ink drawing depicts Prospect Plantation, one of St. Vincent’s prime estates, as it appeared in 1821, during the island’s last great sugar boom. The property was owned by Sir William Struth, the former mayor of Bristol and the future Acting Governor of St. Vincent. The anonymous artist, who dedicated the work to Struth in the lower register, was clearly not a professional draftsman, yet has created a highly attractive work, in the style of a line engraving. Sir William would certainly have treasured this gift from “an old friend”. Struth was a wealthy Tory politician, landowner and merchant. He had a history of owning property in the Caribbean. In 1802, he purchased the Clifton Hill and Endeavour plantations in Trinidad, both of which he sold shortly thereafter at a profit. He was elected to Bristol City Council in 1812, served as mayor from 1814-15, and was knighted in 1815. Struth owned Prospect as early as 1817 and it was his primary residence in the years 1817-33. It was one of three plantations Struth owned on the small but fertile island: the other two being Fancy and Richmond Hill. This image captures the plantation during the last great sugar boom, just prior to the 1833 complete abolition act, which would have an enormous impact on the fortunes of plantation owners in the Caribbean. In fact, Struth submitted a compensation claim for Prospect Plantation, dated

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