'Watson and the Shark' Depicts Real-Life Drama in the Water

A reproduction of "Watson and the Shark" by John Singleton Copley is on display through September at Rackham Golf Course.

It is one of five artworks from the Detroit Institute of Arts on display this summer throughout Huntington Woods as part of the fourth annual Inside|Out program.

"Long before the movie Jaws, there was Watson and the Shark," the DIA says of the oil on canvas painted in 1777. "This harrowing picture was based on the real-life story of Brooks Watson. He dared to swim with the sharks and paid a hefty price. He was attacked and his right leg severed from the knee down, but he lived to tell about it."

The incident occurred when the orphaned boy served as a crew member on a trading vessel in the Caribbean; Watson went on to become a successful merchant and politician in London, England, according to The National Gallery of Art.

"Watson owned the painting until his death in 1807," nga.gov says. "In his will, he bequeathed it to Christ's Hospital, then a boy's school in London, expressing hope that his personal triumph over adversity would serve as a 'most usefull Lesson to Youth.' "

[Read: Your Guide to DIA Inside|Out Exhibit in Huntington Woods]

[Read: Your Guide to DIA Inside|Out Exhibit in Berkley]