Watson and the Shark

John Singleton Copley. Watson and the Shark. 1778.

Brook Watson was a wealthy merchant and Tory leader. In his painting, Copley depicts an incident in Watson's youth. While swimming in Havana Harbor in 1749, Watson was attacked by a shark, consequently losing a leg. The African American positioned so prominently in the painting was originally drawn as a Caucasian. Watson requested that the figure be redrawn as an African American for the sake of "accuracy." Allegorical interpretations have noted the significance of the placement of the African American in relation to the Caucasian figure in the water.
Description: Oil on canvas, 71, 3/4 x 90, 1/2. Inscribed inside the stern of the skiff: J.S. Copley P, 1778.
Location: National Gellery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Source: Guy McElroy. Facing History: The Black Image in American Art.