Commodore Oliver Hazard Perry
(1785-1819)
United States Navy
Accession number:
2016.01
Maker:
John Wesley Jarvis
(1780-1839)
Historical period:
ca. 1820
Miltary branch:
Navy
Wars and Conflicts:
Barbary Wars of North Africa, Quasi-War, War of 1812
Type:
Oil on canvas
Dimensions:
H x W: 29 in. / 25 in.
Acquisition date:
2016
Credit line:
The Benjamin and Marguerite C. Ogle Collection
Location:
Bullpen, First Floor
Provenance:
From 2016: On loan from Benjamin and Marguerite C. Ogle
Label:
Commodore Perry, son of U.S. Navy Captain Christopher Raymond Perry, served in the West Indies in the 1790s and in the Mediterranean during the Barbary Wars. He was called the “Hero of Lake Erie” for his decisive leadership during the Battle of Lake Erie, War of 1812. The fleet victory there was the war’s turning point in the west. He is known for his battle flag, inscribed “Don’t Give Up the Ship,” and for his message to General William Henry Harrison: “We have met the enemy, and they are ours…”
He participated in the defense of both Washington and then Baltimore during the British invasion of the Chesapeake Bay. Numerous ships bear his name. Several counties, towns, and cities are named for him in at least eight different states. The artist, John Wesley Jarvis, was a renowned early 19th century American painter.