(NAVY) Portrait of British captain Henry Whitby whose ship f

Sale 2473 - Lot 158

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Estimate: $ 300 - $ 400

(NAVY.) Portrait of British captain Henry Whitby, whose ship fired a shot which infamously killed an American seaman in 1806. Silhouette reverse portrait on glass, 3 3/4 x 3 1/4 inches to sight, captioned "Cpt. Henry Whitby R.N." in image; not examined outside of frame. Np, early 19th century

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In the years leading up to the War of 1812, the British Navy made a practice of checking American merchant ships to ascertain whether embargoed French cargo was aboard. In April 1806 off New York, the American merchant ship Richard refused to stop when commanded by Captain Henry Whitby's HMS Leander. A warning shot was fired, in what proved to be American territorial waters. The shot was poorly aimed and splintered a railing; a shard killed an American sailor named John Pierce. This triggered an international incident, with President Jefferson calling for Whitby's arrest. Whitby was cleared in a British court-martial, which only increased tensions. We don't know when this portrait of Whitby was created, but he was promoted to captain in 1801 and died in 1812.