6. “Watson and the Shark” – a painting that brought shark terror to London.
Sir Brook Watson’s 1749 encounter with a shark in the waters off Havana, Cuba, introduced the threat of the man-eating beasts of the ocean to many Londoners. However, the painting the attack inspired gave those who viewed it a not-entirely accurate understanding of the animals. Indeed, the work, which was produced in 1778, is notable for the way the infamous shark is depicted. Clearly, this was painted by a man who had never seen a shark with his own eyes!
The painting was commissioned by Watson himself in 1774. He had become friends with the artist, John Singleton Copley when the American visited London that year. Over drinks, Watson told the story of how, as a 14-year-old, he lost most of his right leg to a shark while swimming in Cuba. He asked that his new friend record the event for posterity. He duly complied and, several months later, the work Watson and the Shark was unveiled.
Copley had never visited Havana, which is why the city in the background bears no resemblance to the Cuban capital. Nor had he seen a shark. Which is why the beast in the picture has eyes looking forward rather than on the front of its head. What’s more, the shark in the painting has lips and is even shown blowing air out of a pair of nostrils – all details that are completely anatomically inaccurate.
The painting was exhibited at the Royal Academy in London and then, in 1807, it was bequeathed to Christ’s Hospital in the hope it would prove a “most useful lesson to youth.” For decades, this was the only picture of a shark many Londoners would ever see – and it was a curiously inaccurate one, as was the suggestion that sharks were vicious, bloodthirsty beasts.