JOHN SINGLTON COPLEY, WATSON AND THE SHARK
[sound effects: splashing]
ACTOR: WATSON
Help!
ACTOR: MALE
Grab the rope! Hurry, hurry, it’s getting closer! Get him in the boat!
FEMALE NARRATOR
A 14-yearold boy thrashes in the water as a terrifying shark approaches. The shark draws closer, opening its powerful jaws to attack, revealing sharp, dangerous teeth. The boy’s mouth and eyes are wide open in fear. He and the shark are just inches away from one another. He reaches his hand up toward his rescuers.
In the boat, just beyond the boy’s reach, sailors are trying to save the boy. Look for a man pointing a harpoon, men steering the rowboat toward the boy, a man holding a rope that dangles into the sea, two young sailors leaning out of the boat, desperately trying to reach the boy, and an older sailor hanging on to the shirt of his shipmate. Study the sailors’ faces. How would you describe their expressions? Anxious? Scared? Panicked? Determined? What do you think will happen next?
This is a painting of a true story. In 1749 a young sailor named Brook Watson was swimming in the harbor of Havana, Cuba, when he was attacked by a shark. His shipmates rushed to help him. The artist decided to depict the scariest moment of the story. The shark had already attacked Watson twice, pulling him underwater and biting off his right foot. Notice that the water in the lower left corner is tinted red with Watson’s blood.
The shark circles around for the third time. The sailors struggle to rescue Watson and kill the shark.
The sailors were heroes: Watson did survive the shark attack! It took him 3 months to recover. Because he lost his foot—his leg was amputated below the knee and he was fitted with a wooden leg.
Watson grew up to be a successful businessman and politician in England. Almost 30 years after the attack, he hired John Singleton Copley to paint his miraculous survival story. Watson hoped it would inspire others to overcome life’s challenges.
Copley was an American artist who moved to England during the time of the American Revolution. Because he had never been to Cuba, he studied maps and prints of Havana in order to create an accurate background view of the harbor’s buildings and ships. Copley had never seen a tiger shark, and he was a little less successful with that depiction. Notice the shark’s oddly shaped nostrils, strange lips and ear. It may not be an entirely accurate portrayal, but it’s still pretty scary!
