Capture of the Tripoli by the Enterprise
Thomas Birch (American, born England, 1779–1851)
1806–12
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Materials & printing
Archival matte paper, 189 g/m² (10.3 mil), sourced from Japan, printed with multicolor water-based inkjet so every brushstroke stays crisp. Framed prints arrive ready to hang in a .75″ ayous-wood frame with an acrylite front. Sized to standard frames by cropping, never stretching — at most about 3% comes off one edge, which isn’t noticeable on most pieces, and we only offer a size when it stays that small.
Shipping & returns
Made to order and delivered in 5–8 business days (2–4 to print, 3–4 in transit). US shipping only for now. Because each print is made for your order, all sales are final — but if it arrives damaged or defective, send us a photo within 14 days and we’ll replace it free. Full policy.
Why is it this affordable?
A thin, flat margin on every piece — just enough to keep the store running. Most of what you pay is the print itself. We only sell sizes that reproduce at full quality, and we don’t mark up the large sizes the way most shops do.
About this work
At the turn of the 19th century, conflict arose between the United States of America and the North African Barbary State of Tripoli. President Thomas Jefferson refused to continue to pay tribute or ransom to Tripoli to prevent the pirating of American merchant ships sailing in the Mediterranean Sea. Jefferson dispatched the American ship Enterprise to the Tripolitan waters as a sign of resistance just as Tripoli increased its tribute demands and declared war against the United States. Thomas Birch, an early specialist in maritime painting, captured the battle between the Enterprise and a Tripolitan cruiser in the Mediterranean’s dark, violent waters. The break in the clouds sheds light on this conflict and illuminates Birch’s fine details and precise rendering of these ships.
- Medium
- Oil on canvas
- Original size
- 45.1 × 65.1 cm (17 3/4 × 25 5/8 in.)
Museum record · 3 owners · 1 exhibition
Provenance
- Major William Boerum Wetmore, New York.
- Hiram Burlingham, New York; sold at Anderson Galleries, New York, January 11, 1934.
- French and Company, New York; private collection, Connecticut, to Richard York Gallery, New York, by 1991; sold to the Art Institute of Chicago, 1991.
Exhibitions
- Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, A Gallery of National Portraiture and Historic Scenes, June 13–Oct. 10, 1926.
