Painting, <i>Capture of H.M. Frigate</i> Java <i>by American Frigate</i> Constitution
date: label: date made
content: 1813
name: label: maker
content: Whitcombe, Thomas
notes: label: Description
content: Designed by Joshua Humphreys, <i>Constitution</i> was built in Boston in 1797. It measured 174 feet 10 inches in length, 43 feet 6 inches in beam, 14 feet 3 inches in depth of hold, and 1,576 tons. It was also known as <i>Old Ironsides</i>. The <i>Constitution</i> is still in commission at the Charlestown Navy Yard in Boston, making it the oldest ship in the United States Navy.
label: Description
content: <i>Java</i> was originally a French frigate named <i>Renommée</i>. It measured 1,073 tons. The British ships <i>Astrae</i>, <i>Phoebe</i>, <i>Galatea</i>, and <i>Racehorse</i>, under the command of Captain Charles Schomberg, captured <i>Java</i> near Madagascar in May 1811.
label: Description
content: The painting by Thomas Whitcombe shows the two ships engaged in combat on December 29, 1812 off the coast of Brazil. Several sailors can be seen clinging to wreckage floating to the right of the battle scene. The two-hour battle was a victory for the United States and did much to increase the prestige of the country. The American Captain William Bainbridge was badly wounded and the British Captain Henry Lambert was mortally wounded. Thomas Whitcombe (1752-1824) was a British marine painter. After the battle, <i>Java</i> was deemed unfit for repair and burned.
label: Location
content: Currently not on view
topic: label: Subject
content: Maritime
setName: label: See more items in
content: Work and Industry: Maritime
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content: Cigna Maritime Collection
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content: Transportation
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content: Art
creditLine: label: Credit Line
content: Gift of CIGNA Museum and Art Collection
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: National Museum of American History
identifier: label: ID Number
content: 2005.0279.037
label: accession number
content: 2005.0279
label: catalog number
content: 2005.0279.037
objectType: label: Object Name
content: painting
label: Object Name
content: painting, oil
physicalDescription: label: Physical Description
content: oil on canvas (overall material)
label: Measurements
content: without frame: 19 in x 27 1/4 in; 48.26 cm x 69.215 cm
label: Measurements
content: with frame: 26 in x 34 in; 66.04 cm x 86.36 cm