IMAGE: Thomas Birch (American, born England, 1779-1851), Perry’s Victory on Lake Erie (detail), 1814. Oil on canvas, 66” x 96 1/2”. Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, Philadephia. Gift of Mrs. C.H.A.Esling.
Aug. 9–Nov. 10, 2013
Galleries 28 and 29
Perry’s Victory: The Battle of Lake Erie commemorates the 200th anniversary of the Battle of Lake Erie, one of the largest naval battles of the War of 1812 in which nine U.S. vessels captured six ships of Great Britain’s Royal Navy. One of the prominent works on view will be the heroically scaled painting Perry’s Victory on Lake Erie by marine painter Thomas Birch, depicting a critical moment just before the surrender of the British ships. The show will include paintings, prints, sculpture, artifacts, letters and music to recall more of the exciting story. The naval engagement, led by Commodore Oliver Hazard Perry, was a watershed moment in which the Americans reclaimed the lake and Perry became a national hero. A squadron of British ships had never before been captured; as Perry famously reported, “We have met the enemy and they are ours.” Free admission.
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