The Hilary, one of a trio of handsome new vessels ordered by Booth's for their expanding South American routes, was built by Caledon's of Dundee and launched on 31 March 1908. Registered at 6,325 tons, she measured 418½ feet in length with a 52 foot beam, and had accomodation for 200 First and 350 Third Class passengers. This accommodation, coupled with a cruising speed of 14 knots, made the steamers popular with the travelling public and this painting was almost certainly commissioned for use as a poster to promote the company's new ships. During the Amazon rubber boom before the Great War, the Booth Line ran a highly profitable service from Liverpool up the Amazon to Manaus calling regularly at Lisbon and Madeira en route. When War broke out in 1914, Hilary was commandeered for use as an Armed Merchant Cruiser and was torpedoed and sunk by the German submarine U-88 on 25 May 1917 whilst patrolling off Lerwick in the Shetland Isles.