' The Death of Major Peirson ' John Singleton Copley ( American 1738-1815) Oil on canvas , circa 1781-83 . The Tate Collection , London .

France invaded Jersey on 5th January 1781 . The governor surrendered the island after the fall of it's capital, St Helier . A twenty four year old garrison commander , Major Peirson , rejected the surrender and led a successful counter-attack . Copely shows Major Peirson dying at the moment of British victory , beneath the Union flag . The officers in the painting were said to be portraits , as was the image of Peirson's black servant , who is avenging his masters death . Peirson became a national hero and the painting drew huge crowds when it was first exhibited........One of the reasons the victory in Jersey was so welcome was that things were not going at all well for England in the American War of Independence . John Singleton Copely was born in Massachusetts in 1737 and was brought up over his mothers tobacco shop after his father died in the West Indies when he was a baby . His mother married artist Peter Pelham , who ran a school where his stepson learn the rudiments of art , before Pelham also died when John was only thirteen. The young Copley turned his hand to portrait painting and engraving and a portrait of his step-brother so impressed Joshua Reynolds when it was taken to London that the young artist was urged to follow it across the Atlantic . But Copely was establishing a growing reputation in Boston and remained there , marrying Susannah Clark in 1769 . Through his father-in-law Copley became embroiled in the notorious Boston Tea Party in 1773 and set off afterwards on an artistic tour of Europe , followed two years later by his wife and four children . Copely was known in London as a loyalist and an accomplished artist and he joined the Royal Academy . His reputation grew and it was little surprise he was chosen by Boydell to paint the story of the Battle of Jersey .( Previous posting 13th January 'Watson and The Shark ' John Singleton Copely circa 1782)