William Nowland Van Powell (Tennessee, 1904-1973) oil on canvas maritime painting, depicting the British sloop of war, HMS Falcon, at sea and flying a British Naval flag. Titled on front of painted wood frame: H.M. SLOOP OF WAR - FALCON 16 - CAPTAIN JOHN LINZEE - RN./ "HE HAS RAVAGED OUR COASTS, BURNT OUR TOWNS. 1775." Signed 'WNVP 1969' lower left, "A&OD" upper right. Writing en verso reads: "William Nowland Van Powell, Memphis Tenn. 1970, Age 70". Sight - 15 3/8" H x 19 1/4" W. Framed - 22 1/4" H x 26 1/4" W. Biography: Memphis, TN architect and artist, Nowland Van Powell (1904-1977) retired from architecture in the 1970s and began to paint full time. He is known for his paintings of ships and naval battles and also for painting Christmas cards for Vice President Spiro Agnew and family in 1971. Van Powell was the author of The American Navies of the Revolutionary War, a collection of his paintings, with descriptive notes by the artist was published in 1974 by G. P. Putnam's Sons, New York. Additional Note: In 1775, Royal Navy Captain John Linzee, commanding the sloop-of-war HMS Falcon, spotted two American schooners returning from the West Indies. Linzee captured one schooner and pursued the second schooner into Gloucester harbor. The Falcon became grounded and the townspeople called out their militia. They captured British seamen and recovered the captured ship as well.The townspeople actions generated a retaliatory expedition by Royal Navy Captain Henry Mowat in October 1775.