Repro ID: BHC2942
Title: Captain Sir Richard Pearson (1731-1806).
Description: Captain Sir Richard Pearson (1731-1806) was appointed Lieutenant-Governor of Greenwich Hospital in 1800, after a distinguished career in the Royal Navy. A Lieutenant in the East Indies during the Seven Years' War, he obtained post rank as a Captain in 1773. In 1779, in command of the 'Serapis', 44 guns, and escorting a large convoy from the Baltic, he was attacked off Flamborough Head by an American rebel squadron under John Paul Jones. This famous action ended in Pearson surrendering the 'Serapis' to Jones but not before his spirited defence had covered the escape of the valuable convoy. For this reason he was considered a hero. He was knighted, received presents from the merchants and the freedoms of several towns. This portrait was painted soon after this famous action.
Creator: Charles Grignion
Date: 1780
Credit line: National Maritime Museum, London
