In 1918, American painter Frederick Judd Waugh accepted a position as a camouflage artist (known as a camoufleur) for the U.S. Navy. Waugh designed camouflage for several ships with great success; only one vessel painted with a Waugh design was lost.

Waugh's ship designs followed the principles of dazzle camouflage, which seeks to hide an object by making it appear to consist of many mismatched components. This distorted appearance made it difficult for enemy navies to determine a ship's size, shape, speed and bearing.

Painted in the English coastal town of Saint Ives, Cornwall around 1900.