* O'Neil (Henry Nelson, 1817-1880). Study for Eastward Ho!, circa 1857, oil study on wood panel, for part of the larger finished work exhibited by the artist at the Royal Academy in 1858, 52 x 41.5 cm (20.5 x 16.3 ins), attractive moulded gilt frameQty: (1)NOTESProvenance: Private Collection, Devon. A preliminary oil sketch for a section of one of O'Neil's most famous works, Eastward Ho!, first exhibited at the Royal Academy in 1858. The full-scale painting depicts soldiers on board a ship at Gravesend, destined for service in India during the Indian Mutiny, saying their farewells to loved ones. The work changed the artist's career, and became one of the most popular images in Victorian art. Following its first public appearance at the Royal Academy in 1858, a tour of Britain was organised for the picture, during which time an estimated 540,000 people came to see it. O'Neil made a companion painting, entitled Home Again, depicting the return of the same troops, which was exhibited at the Royal Academy in the following year. Mixed method mezzotint engravings of both works by William Turner Davey were published in 1860 and 1861 respectively, thereby contributing further to their popularity. The present work shows the artist working on details of the composition, which were significantly altered in the finished version. For example, the direction of the composition is in reverse, and the female figure in the foreground is shown with her face covered by a handkerchief to hide her anguish, whereas in the final version she is given assistance down the gangplank by an old salt. The motif of the woman with her face buried in a handkerchief is transferred to another figure further up the gangplank.