Print on left, engraved by Peter Canot, drawn by Elias Durnford, published by Thomas Jeffreys, A view of the Entrance of the Harbour of the Havana taken from within the Wrecks, published August 1764. Photograph courtesy of the Library of Congress. Right: Copley, Watson and the Shark (detail), National Gallery of Art, Ferdinand Lammot Belin Fund 1963.6.1

Although the artist had never visited Havana, Copley probably gleaned details of the locale and topography from contemporary prints. His depiction of Morro Castle, a recognizable architectural landmark, lends authenticity to the painting.