Name/TitleThe Death of Captain James Cook
About this objectThis depiction of Cook’s death in Hawaii is an alternative image to the famous painting by Webber. This engraving was made after the 1781 painting by George Carter. John Hall engraved Captain Cook, Samuel Smith engraved the landscape and John Thornthwaite the remaining figures.
The exact details of Cook’s death are debated. Some accounts state that Cook tried to prevent the violence and asked his men not to fire until it was too late, as is portrayed in Webber’s famous painting. Others, such as this image based on Carter’s painting, show Cook more actively engaging the Hawaiian warriors. The image shows the Captain gripping his rifle to swing towards the group of Hawaiian warriors facing him, one of whom raises a dagger to plunge into his shoulder while Cook’s men fire from the ships’ boats.
Carter was born in Colchester in April 1737, the son of George and Elizabeth Carter. Carter’s dramatic portrayal of contemporary events such as the death of Captain James Cook were greatly influenced by John Copley with whom Carter visited France and Italy in 1771. Copley initially described Carter as “a very polite and sensible man, who has seen much of the world”. However, relations between them soured and Copley later compared him to “a sort of snail which crawled over a man in his sleep and left its slime, and no more”.
MakerGeorge Carter - Artist
Maker RoleArtist
MakerS. Smith, J. Hall and J. Thornthwaite - Engraving
Maker RoleEngraver
Date Made1784
Period18th century
Medium and MaterialsPaper and ink
Place MadeLondon, United Kingdom
Inscription and MarksThe lower caption of print reads:
"The Death Of Captain James Cook by the Indians of O’Why’ee, one of the Sandwich Islands"
TechniquePrintmaking
Object TypePrinted Material
Object numberSF001758
Copyright Licence
Attribution - Non-commercial - No Derivatives (cc)
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The mug is decorated with an underglaze and a blue transfer print. On the body, it is titled ‘Emigrants to Australia’. This type of body and glaze was discontinued by 1840. Comparison of the handle shape and the profile of the foot, point to the attribution of manufacture by the Davenport Factory.
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Important image of a ship associated with Matthew Flinders, that would shortly become one of the most famous early shipwrecks in eastern Australian waters. This is a fine ship’s portrait, by one of the great exponents of the art