The painting depicts the celebration of George Washington’s birthday on February 22, 1838 in Malta, a small island nation in the Mediterranean. In the center is the USS Constitution, firing her cannons in salute. She is “fully dressed,” i.e. flying all the flags on board — signal flags, flags from other nations, etc. The national flags she is flying are: Prussia, Denmark, Jerusalem, Brazil, Tripoli, Spain, Greece, the Netherlands, France and Bremen. At this time, the ship’s figurehead was a carving of Andrew Jackson.

This event took place in the Grand Harbor. At right is the vedette, or watchtower, on Senglea Point. In the background is Valletta, the capital city of Malta. At this time, Malta was under British rule, and the other vessels in the background are British men-of-war, flying American flags for the occasion.The two boats at left foreground are a traditional Maltese style of boat called a “luzzu.” The small canoe-like boat at center left is another Maltese boat, a “dghajsa.” This event is depicted in a painting on display in the Naval Academy Museum, and is described in detail in an article in U.S. Military Magazine of 1840