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S.S. Great Eastern, a 22,500-ton (displacement) iron steamship designed by Isambard Kingdom Brunel was built on the Thames River, England. Intended for the passenger and cargo trade between England and Ceylon, she was by far the largest ship the World had yet seen. She was so far ahead of contemporary commercial requirements, and industrial capabilities, that her length (nearly 700 feet) and tonnage would remain unmatched for four more decades.

Though christened Leviathan during a initial launching attempt in early November 1857, she was thereafter always known as Great Eastern. Nearly three month's costly struggle to get her afloat, and more problems while she was completing, left her original company bankrupt. New owners decided to employ her on the route between Britain and North America. However, insufficient capitalization restricted outfitting to luxury accomodations, thus ignoring the decidedly non-luxurious, but very profitable immigrant trade. The ship financial difficulties continued, compounded by a series of accidents.
In September 1859 Great Eastern's first voyage was cut short by a boiler explosion. Her second company collapsed under the expense of repairs and a new firm took her on. Finally reaching New York in June 1860, for the next two months she was exhibited to the public and made voyages along the U.S. coast. Nearly a year passed before Great Eastern's next westbound trip in May 1861, by which time the American Civil War had begun. During June and July she transported troops to Quebec to reinforce Canada's defenses. In September Great Eastern began another trip to New York, but was disabled by a severe storm. In mid-1862 she made three voyages, but improving commercial prospects abruptly ceased when she struck an uncharted rock entering New York harbor, necessitating more expensive repairs. She did not resume service until mid-1863, making two more trips and bankrupting yet another company.

George E. Mattingly owned and operated the Potomac Steamboat Company headquartered in Washington, DC. The steamboat Baltimore advertised in the poster was built at Kensington, PA in 1843.

The Washington and Frederickburg Steamboat company incoporated on March 19, 1840 and in 1855 it assumed the name Potomac Steamboat company. In the 1850s the company had two steamers one of which is the Powhatan (which is confiscated for northern use on the Potomac during the Civil War). By the mid1850s George Mattingly is "Superintendent" of the Potomac Steamboat company and is an "officer" and at least part owner. He retains this position until his death (1884) and his son George Mattingly is associated until 1891.

The company buys the GEORGE LEARY in 1879 and owns it until 1891 and similarly builds and owns the EXCELSIOR (1880-1891).

The picture to the left is the son of George E. Mattingly also named George E. Mattingly that worked with his father in the management of the Potomac Steamboat Company.