A poignant 1855 narrative painting by Arthur Hughes depicting a naval officer bidding farewell to a young woman by the coast.

Arthur Hughes, a painter associated with the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood, completed The Sailing Signal Gun in 1855. The work depicts a poignant moment of departure between a naval officer and a young woman. The officer, dressed in his uniform, holds the woman's hand as they stand near a coastal cliff. In the background, an older woman sits on a bench, observing the sea through a telescope. The composition uses the open sea and the distant ships to suggest the impending separation caused by the officer's naval duties. True to the Pre-Raphaelite aesthetic, the painting features meticulous attention to detail, particularly in the rendering of the flora in the foreground and the textures of the clothing. The colour palette is bright and clear, reflecting the influence of the movement's preference for painting in natural light. The narrative quality of the scene is characteristic of mid-Victorian genre painting, which often explored themes of love, duty, and social expectation. The inclusion of the older woman provides a sense of chaperoned propriety, common in the social context of the era. The painting captures a quiet, emotional tension, focusing on the intimate exchange between the two central figures while the vastness of the sea looms as a silent participant in their story. The work remains a fine example of Hughes's ability to combine technical precision with a sensitive approach to human emotion.