Joseph Walter (1783-1856) was an English marine painter in oils and watercolour, working at Bristol and Portishead. He gained notice for his portrayals of Brunel's steamships Great Western and Great Britain. 

This view looks in the opposite direction to Joseph Walter's ''A Ship Passing Portishead'' and Portishead Point is at the end of the sweep of the bay. There is an autumn storm approaching and vessels including a steam packet, a merchant ship and many coastal craft hasten towards the mouth of the Avon and calmer waters. The artist's observation of details like the muck-spreading and the house being built heightens the realism and the sense of an actual moment.