Template:POTD/2009-04-10
Watson and the Shark, a 1778 painting by John Singleton Copley depicting the rescue of the future Lord Mayor of the City of London, Brook Watson, from a shark attack in Havana, Cuba. The attack occurred when Watson was 14 years old and serving as a crew member on a cargo ship. In 1774, after Watson arrived in London, he and Copley became friends. Watson likely commissioned the original version of this painting, but Copley would eventually create two additional copies.