29

Capt. Paul Jones Shooting a Sailor who had Attempted to Strike his Colours in an Engagement.

London: R. Sayer & J. Bennett, 1 January 1780
Hand-colored mezzotint, 15¼ x 11¾ inches; worn and discolored in margins, only minor wear within image, professionally laid down and stabilized.


Depicts one of the most dramatic naval battles of the Revolution, with John Paul Jones (armed with a sword and pistol) executing a treasonous sailor. This is a British depiction of an incident from the Battle of Flamborough Head off the British coast, in which Jones and his converted merchant ship Bonhomme Richard defeated the better-armed HMS Serapis--the battle where Jones allegedly yelled "I have not yet begun to fight!" The British, depicting Jones as a tyrant, claimed that he had shot one of his own men as depicted in this mezzotint. No evidence survives to support this claim, but one of Jones's men did call across to the Serapis to ask for quarter, and by some reports Jones did strike him in the jaw with his pistol butt.

One of three prints by different publishers using different versions of the same scene. In this one, the artist and engraver are not identified. 

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