If you're like me, Shark Week is one of your
favorite times of the year.
Perhaps it's the mystery that surrounds these
animals that attracts us, or maybe it's the
scary stories of JAWS come to life that reels
us in.
All we know is that we love Shark Week, and
we can't get enough.
With that in mind, Let's take a look at a
shark attack from the 1700's that has been
immortalized in history.
Welcome to That Was History, I'm your host
Cliff Langston.
In 1778, famous painter John Singleton Copley
would complete a painting named simply, “Watson
and the Shark.”
This painting depicts a tragic scene of nine
sailors trying to rescue a boy from the ocean
before a massive shark can sink its teeth
into him.
The viewer is left with an eerie feeling of
uncertainty about the fate of this young boy.
Fortunately for you, I've got the details
of what really happened.
You see, the “Watson and the Shark” painting
is actually based on the real life shark attack
that happened to Sir Brook Watson in 1749.
Watson, who was 14 years old at the time,
was swimming by himself in Havana Harbor which
is located in Cuba.
He was attacked twice by the shark.
During the first attack, the shark bit off
flesh from Watson's right leg.
The second time, it took his entire right
foot.
Thankfully, Watson was rescued by his shipmates,
but his leg would have to be amputated at
the knee, and it would take 3 months for him
to recover.
So how exactly does a merchant sailor convince
renowned artist, John Singleton Copley to
recreate his ordeal in a painting that the
world can still enjoy to this day?
It all has to do with what Sir Brook Watson
was able to achieve after his shark attack.
In the 1750's he served as commissary to several
British officers throughout the Seven Years' War.
Due to this, he became known as “the wooden-legged
commissary.”
In 1759, Watson would return to London to
continue his mercantile career and would find
success there, as well as in Montreal and
Boston.
He even meddled in government business leading
up to the American Revolutionary War.
For example, Watson would intercept letters
written to British General, Thomas Gage, that
supposedly contained proof that Gage was a
spy.
On the flip side, Watson was also accused
of developing relationships with American
leaders in order to obtain important information
and relay it back to the British.
It was at this point in his life that Watson
would finally meet John Singleton Copley in
1774.
We aren't exactly sure how they met, but the
two main theories are that they either met
on the same ship traveling from Boston to
England, or that they met sometime in London.
As mentioned earlier, Copley wouldn't finish
the painting until 1778.
“Watson and the Shark” was put on display
at The Royal Academy of Arts that same year
and became very popular.
An interesting note is that modern experts
believe that it is likely that Copley had
never seen a shark because he included features
that sharks do not have.
For example, the shark was given lips, eyes
that face forward, and
I also noticed that this fin looks very round,
which isn't the case for the majority of sharks
that I've seen.
Copley would end up producing three versions
of the painting.
The third version contains a shark that is
much closer in appearance to what we recognize.
In addition to that I noticed that Copley
put more emphasis on the blood and exposed
bone in Watson's leg in the third version
which makes for a more dramatic image.
The painting would remain in Watson's possession
until his death in 1807.
He noted in his Will that he would like for
the painting to be given to Christ's Hospital,
“to be hung up in the Hall of their Hospital
as holding out a most useful lesson to youth."
The hospital accepted the painting in 1819.
The National Gallery of Art in Washington
D.C.
Purchased the painting in 1963 which is where
it remains on display.
Copley's second version of “Watson and the
Shark” is now at the Museum of Fine Arts
in Boston, and the third version is at the
Detroit Institute of Arts.
Watson continued to climb the status ladder
all the way up until his death.
In the last 25 years of his life he held all
kinds of political titles including member
of parliament for the city of London, Sheriff,
Lord Mayor, Commissary-General of England,
and Director of the Bank of England.
He was also made a Baronet in 1803, and his
Coat of Arms even includes his long lost severed
right foot.
Sir Brook Watson was dealt a bad hand at a
young age, but he was determined to overcome
the obstacle, and I'd say he did just that.
So what'd you think of this story?
Leave me a comment with your thoughts and
let's talk about it.
Also, don't forget to subscribe and hit that
bell icon to be notified when we release new videos.
History is always being written which means
we've got plenty more to share with you in the future.
If you liked this video, check out our other content including another Shark Week video we made about the USS Indianapolis tragedy.
I wouldn't say that the sailors on that ship were as lucky as Brook Watson was.
As always, Thanks so much for watching!
I'm Cliff Langston, and I'll see you next
time.
