Portrait of George Cockburn | |
---|---|
Artist | John James Halls |
Year | 1817 |
Type | Oil on canvas, portrait |
Dimensions | 239 cm× 148.5 cm(94 in× 58.5 in) |
Location | National Maritime Museum, Greenwich |
Portrait of George Cockburn is an 1817 portrait painting by the English artist John James Halls depicting Sir George Cockburn, a British admiral of the Royal Navy. [1] [2] Amongst the most notable events of his career was his participation in the Burning of Washington during the War of 1812. He later escorted to the defeat French Emperor Napoleon into his exile on the island of Saint Helena. The painting commemorates his role in the 1814 raid on the American capital. [3]
He is shown at full-length in the dress uniform of a Rear admiral, with the Burning of the Capitol, Treasury and other public buildings in Washington as a backdrop. [4] The work was exhibited at the Royal Acacademy's Summer Exhibition of 1817 at Somerset House. Today the painting is part of the collection of the National Maritime Museum in Greenwich. [5] Three years later William Beechey produced his own Portrait of George Cockburn , now also in the National Maritime Museum. [6]
The National Maritime Museum (NMM) is a maritime museum in Greenwich, London. It is part of Royal Museums Greenwich, a network of museums in the Maritime Greenwich World Heritage Site. Like other publicly funded national museums in the United Kingdom, it has no general admission charge; there are admission charges for most side-gallery temporary exhibitions, usually supplemented by many loaned works from other museums.
The Battle of Baltimore took place between British and American forces in the War of 1812. American forces repulsed sea and land invasions off the busy port city of Baltimore, Maryland, and killed the commander of the invading British forces.
Admiral of the Fleet Sir George Cockburn, 10th Baronet, was a Royal Navy officer and politician. As a captain he was present at the Battle of Cape St Vincent in February 1797 during the French Revolutionary Wars and commanded the naval support at the invasion of Martinique in February 1809 during the Napoleonic Wars.
William Beechey was a British portraitist during the golden age of British painting.
The Burning of Washington, also known as the Capture of Washington, was a successful British amphibious attack conducted by Rear-Admiral George Cockburn during Admiral Sir John Warren's Chesapeake campaign. It was the only time since the American Revolutionary War that a foreign power had captured and occupied a United States capital. Following the defeat of American forces at the Battle of Bladensburg on August 24, 1814, a British army led by Major-General Robert Ross marched on Washington, D.C. That evening, British soldiers and sailors set fire to multiple public buildings, including the Presidential Mansion, United States Capitol, and Washington Navy Yard.
The Battle of St. Michaels was an engagement contested on August 10, 1813, during the War of 1812. British soldiers attacked the American militia at St. Michaels, Maryland, which is located on Maryland's Eastern Shore with access to Chesapeake Bay. At the time, this small town was on the main shipping route to important cities such as Baltimore and Washington, D.C.
The Naval Museum of Halifax is a Canadian Forces museum located at CFB Halifax in the former official residence of the Commander-in-Chief of the North America Station (1819–1905). Also known as Admiralty House, the residence is a National Historic Site of Canada located in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. The museum collects, preserves and displays the artifacts and history of the Royal Canadian Navy.
The Raid on Havre de Grace was a seaborne raid that took place on 3 May 1813 during the broader War of 1812. A squadron of the British Royal Navy under Rear Admiral George Cockburn attacked the town of Havre de Grace, Maryland, at the mouth of the Susquehanna River. Cockburn's forces routed the town's defenders and sacked and burnt several buildings before withdrawing.
Admiral George Ourry Lempriere was an officer in the British Royal Navy during the Napoleonic Wars that rose to the rank of Admiral.
The Second Battle of St. Michaels was a raid conducted on Maryland's Eastern Shore by British soldiers during the War of 1812. The raid occurred on August 26, 1813, at points between Tilghman Island and the town of St. Michaels, Maryland. Local militia defended against the raiders.
The Battle of Camperdown is a 1799 history painting by the American-born painter John Singleton Copley. It depicts the conclusion to the Battle of Camperdown on 11 October 1797, which was fought in the North Sea between fleets of the Royal Navy and the Batavian Navy during the War of the First Coalition. A decisive British victory, Copley's painting shows British Admiral Adam Duncan accepting the surrender of the Batavian Admiral Jan Willem de Winter. Its full title is The Surrender of the Dutch Admiral de Winter to Admiral Duncan at the Battle of Camperdown.
On 25 June 1814 a British maritime force landed at Chesconessex Creek, Virginia, to attack an American fort. The British forces, several hundred Royal Marines, Colonial Marines and sailors, landed from Royal Navy vessels Albion, Dragon and Endymion. They were commanded by Lieutenant George Urmston of the Albion. The commander of the first British landing boat, Lieutenant James Scott, had requested permission to attack the fort as the commander of its Virginia Militia garrison, Captain John G. Joynes, had previously threatened to "blow [him] to hell" if he attempted it.
Portrait of George Cockburn is an 1820 portrait painting by the English artist William Beechey. It depicts the British admiral Sir George Cockburn. Cockburn served for decades in the Royal Navy. In the War of 1812 he commanded British naval forces during the Burning of Washington. In 1815 he was charged with escorting the deposed French emperor Napoleon into exile and British captivity on the Atlantic island of Saint Helena. He later served as First Naval Lord.
The Battle of Trafalgar is an 1836 history painting by the British artist Clarkson Stanfield. It depicts the 1805 naval Battle of Trafalgar in which the Royal Navy led by Horatio Nelson defeated a combined Franco-Spanish fleet during the Napoleonic Wars. The painting was commissioned by the United Service Club and represented a major milestone in Clarkson's career.
Portrait of Horatio Nelson is a 1781 portrait painting by the Italian-born English artist John Francis Rigaud depicting the British sailor Horatio Nelson. Later a celebrated admiral, known for his victories at the Battle of the Nile and Battle of Trafalgar, Nelson was at this time a young captain in the Royal Navy. It is occasionally known as the Young Nelson.
Portrait of Admiral Rodney or Admiral Rodney at the Battle of the Saintes is a 1783 portrait painting by the English artist Thomas Gainsborough featuring the British admiral George Rodney, 1st Baron Rodney. It depicts his April 1782 victory at the Battle of the Saintes in the Caribbean Sea during the American War of Independence. Rodney led the Royal Navy to a decisive victory over the French fleet commanded by the Comte de Grasse by "breaking the line". Rodney is shown on the deck of the de Grasse's captured flagship Ville de Paris with the ship's Fleur-de-lis ensign behind him, as smoke from the battle swirls in the background. In 1788 the artist's nephew Gainsborough Dupont produced a mezzotint based on the picture.
Portrait of James, Duke of York is a 1673 portrait painting by the French artist Henri Gascar depicting the future James II of England, then Duke of York. James is portrayed in Baroque style in Roman clothing in the style of Mars, the god of war. He stands in a pavilion with his flagship the Royal Prince in the background. The pageboy on the right was traditionally described as John Churchill, the future Duke of Marlborough, although by the time the painting was produced Churchill was an adult and serving on the continent. James was Lord High Admiral during the reign of his brother Charles and had commanded the Royal Navy at the Battle of Lowestoft in 1665 and Battle of Solebay in 1672 during the Anglo-Dutch Wars.
The Capture of the Chevrette is an 1802 history painting by the French-born British artist Philip James de Loutherbourg. It depicts the cutting out of the French Navy's corvette Chevrette in 1801 during the Napoleonic Wars. The Chevrette was moored in Camaret Bay in Brittany under the protection of the artillery of shore batteries. Ship's boats from four ships of the British Royal Navy squadron blockading Brest, the Robust, Doris, Beaulieu and Uranie, moved in a cutting out move to storm the ship, overpower its French crew and take it out into British control.
Portrait of Augustus Keppel is a 1749 portrait painting by the English artist Joshua Reynolds and depicting the British naval officer Augustus Keppel. The two men met the same year at the artist accompanied Keppel on an expedition to the Mediterranean. He sat for Reynolds at Port Mahon and Minorca is depicted in the background. Visible on the right is a squadron of Royal Navy ships led by the Centurion. In contrast to the more epic style Reynolds would later use for military figures, Keppel is portrayed as "upstanding and admirable, but he is hardly a transcendent hero".
The Moonlight Battle is a 1781 history painting by the French-born British artist Dominic Serres. It depicts the Battle of Cape St. Vincent fought on 16 January 1780 during the American War of Independence. Dubbed the moonlight battle, as it was fought at night, it was part of Admiral Rodney's successful attempt to resupply the British garrison during the Great Siege of Gibraltar. Rodney's Royal Navy fleet encountered, pursued and defeated a Spanish force off Cadiz, capturing their commander Juan de Lángara in the process.