John Singleton Copley
Watson and the Shark

Watson and the Shark

Public Domain

Watson and the Shark
ArtistAmerican, 1738–1815
CultureAmerican
Titles
  • Watson and the Shark
Datec. 1780–1790
PlaceLondon, England
MediumOil on canvas
Dimensions35 3/4 × 30 1/4 in. (90.8 × 76.8 cm)
Credit LineThe Bayou Bend Collection, gift of Miss Ima Hogg
Object numberB.56.167
Current Location
The Audrey Jones Beck Building
106 Cameron Gallery
On view

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Department
Bayou Bend
Object Type
DescriptionAmerican artist John Singleton Copley exhibited Watson and the Shark in London’s Royal Academy in 1778. The incident it depicts had taken place in Havana harbor in 1749 when 14-year-old Brook Watson was severely injured in a shark attack. Watson went on to success in politics and business, serving as a Member of Parliament and as Lord Mayor of London. Among the notable features of the painting is the sympathetic portrayal of the West African crewmember attempting to extend a lifeline to Watson. This painting was not made by Copley, but is an eighteenth-century, so-called polygraphic copy that combined mechanical duplication with artist’s handwork.
Provenance[Childs Gallery, Boston]; purchased by Miss Ima Hogg, October 19, 1956; given to MFAH.

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Portrait of Elizabeth Garland (Mrs. Paul Richard, 1700–1774)
John Singleton Copley
Portrait of Elizabeth Garland (Mrs. Paul Richard, 1700–1774)
1771
Oil on canvas
B.54.18
Portrait of a Boy
John Singleton Copley
Portrait of a Boy
c. 1758–1760
Oil on canvas
B.54.31
Study for "The Siege of Gibraltar" (Study of Figures Pulling on a Rope)
John Singleton Copley
Study for "The Siege of Gibraltar" (Study of Figures Pulling on a Rope)
c. 1785–1786
Black and white chalk on gray-blue paper
B.54.29
Study for "The Siege of Gibraltar" (Study of Lieutenant Colonel Lindsay and Figures Pulling on a Rope)
John Singleton Copley
Study for "The Siege of Gibraltar" (Study of Lieutenant Colonel Lindsay and Figures Pulling on a Rope)
c. 1786–1787
Graphite and black and white chalk on gray-blue paper
B.54.27
Study for "The Siege of Gibraltar" (Study of Rescued Figure and Two Figures Pulling on an Oar)
John Singleton Copley
Study for "The Siege of Gibraltar" (Study of Rescued Figure and Two Figures Pulling on an Oar)
c. 1785–1786
Black and white chalk on gray-green paper
B.54.28
Portrait of Sarah Henshaw (Mrs. Joseph Henshaw, 1736–1822)
John Singleton Copley
Portrait of Sarah Henshaw (Mrs. Joseph Henshaw, 1736–1822)
c. 1770
Pastel on paper, mounted on linen
B.54.25
Study for William Murray, First Earl of Mansfield
John Singleton Copley
Study for William Murray, First Earl of Mansfield
c. 1782–1783
Graphite and black and white chalk on blue-gray paper
B.54.26
Study for "The Siege of Gibraltar" (Study for a Figure on a Cannon in the Longboat)
John Singleton Copley
Study for "The Siege of Gibraltar" (Study for a Figure on a Cannon in the Longboat)
c. 1785–1786
Black and white chalk on gray-blue paper
B.54.30
Portrait of Elizabeth Byles (Mrs. Gawen Brown, 1737–1763)
John Singleton Copley
Portrait of Elizabeth Byles (Mrs. Gawen Brown, 1737–1763)
1763
Pastel on laid paper, mounted on bleached plain-weave linen
B.54.21
William Watson
George Romney
William Watson
late 1750s
Oil on canvas
96.1567
Millicent Watson
George Romney
Millicent Watson
late 1750s
Oil on canvas
96.1566
Portrait of Mary Pemberton (1717–1763)
John Smibert
Portrait of Mary Pemberton (1717–1763)
1734
Oil on canvas
B.72.8