In 1749, fourteen-year-old Brook Watson, a young English sailor, was attacked by a shark while swimming in the harbor at Havana, Cuba. Nine sailors rushed to help the boy and saved him from almost certain death, though he lost his right leg to the knee.

Watson grew up to be an important merchant and, briefly, Lord Mayor of London. He did not want his story of danger, courage, and survival to be forgotten. He asked John Singleton Copley, an American artist working in London, to paint this picture as a record of the events. Copley, America’s most important colonial painter, had traveled to Europe in 1774 to study art in Rome and other cities. To escape the hostilities of the American Revolution and for artistic reasons, he and his family settled permanently in England. During his stay in London he received many painting commissions, including this one from Brook Watson.

Watson and the Shark created a sensation when it was exhibited, in part because the subject was so grisly. To lend believability to the scene Copley, who had never visited the Caribbean, consulted maps and prints of Cuba. It’s unlikely that he painted the shark from life or from prints because he erroneously painted an ear on the beast. On the frame of the painting an inscription relates the story and states Watson’s wish that this painting “might serve a most useful lesson to youth” about the risks of foolish behavior.

Discussion Questions:

• What is going on in the painting? What do you think happened just before this moment? How has Copley told you that Brook Watson has already suffered one attack from the shark? (A bloody stump below his right knee indicates that the shark has bitten off his lower leg.) The shark is swimming around the boat again in the direction of Watson. Why do you think Copley chose this moment of the story to depict? (Because it is the most dramatic and suspenseful moment of the story.)
• What are the various sailors doing to try to save Brook Watson? Nine classmates can stand together and recreate their poses.
• How would you describe the mood of the painting? What might Watson be thinking? Look at the different facial expressions on the sailors. What do you think each of them is feeling?
• What are some character traits that these everyday heroes possess?
• Was there a time when either you or someone you know was saved or helped by a friend? What happened? How did those involved feel? What were the character traits that the hero or heroine possessed?