Brilliant Naval Victory Possibly 1812

Samuel Seymour created this print, titled “Brilliant Naval Victory,” around 1812, commemorating the naval battle between the USS Constitution and the HMS Guerriere during the War of 1812. Seymour’s print captures a specific moment in the conflict between the United States and Great Britain, a struggle deeply entwined with issues of national identity and sovereignty. The burning British ship becomes symbolic of the shifting power dynamics between the old world and the new. The print creates a narrative of American triumph, but look closely and you’ll see an absence. There is a stark silence on the loss of life. This imagery taps into an emotional landscape of early American nationalism. It prompts us to consider whose stories are told and whose are obscured in depictions of historical events, and what price is paid in the pursuit of victory.