Skip to main content

Secondary sourcePainting1784

The Death of Cook

John Cleveley the Younger · 1784

A 1784 painting by John Cleveley the Younger showing Captain Cook caught up in the deadly fight on a Hawaiian beach.

This painting depicts Cook himself taking part in the fatal confrontation in Hawaii in which he was killed.

Ask James Cook about this sourceView the original(opens in new tab)
Painted scene on a sandy beach: dark-skinned men with clubs and long spears fight European sailors in white and blue coats near the water's edge. A body lies on the ground in the foreground. Wooden buildings, smoke, and hills stand in the background.
John Cleveley the Younger, The Death of Cook, 1784.

About this source

What it is

This painting, made in 1784 by John Cleveley the Younger, shows Captain James Cook among sailors fighting Hawaiian islanders on a beach, with a body lying on the ground. It is a rare original version of this famous scene, rediscovered in a private British collection in 2004.

Why it matters

The image captures the violent end of Cook's third voyage and shows how British artists quickly turned his death into a dramatic historical scene. It reflects how Europeans told the story of first contact and conflict with Pacific peoples, often from their own point of view.

Look closer

  • Who is shown fighting, and how are the two sides dressed and posed differently?
  • Since Cleveley was not present at the event, where might he have gotten his information?
  • What does this painting leave out about the causes of the fighting?

This painting is part of the curated material that grounds the AI version of James Cook on Humy.ai — when students ask about related events, the AI can quote it and cite it.

More James Cook sources

Meet the AI James Cook →
Oil painting of a seated man in a navy blue captain's uniform with gold braid and gold buttons over a white waistcoat. He has grey hair, holds a chart on his lap, and a tricorn hat rests on a table beside him, with sea visible through a window at left.Painting

Primary source

Captain James Cook, 1728-79

Nathaniel Dance-Holland · c. 1775-1776

Oval engraved portrait of Captain James Cook in a naval-style uniform with a high collar and cravat, hair curled at the sides, set within a decorative oval frame. Caption below reads 'Captain James Cook, F.R.S.' with publication credits along the bottom margin.Painting

Secondary source

James Cook, line engraving by Basire after Hodges

William Hodges · 1777

Engraved plate from Philosophical Transactions Vol. LXI, Tab. XIV, p. 410, titled 'Appearances of Venus by Capt. Cook' (top) and 'Appearances of Venus by Mr. Charles Green' (bottom). Each panel shows a series of numbered figures of Venus as a black disc crossing the Sun's curved edge, with arcs representing the Sun's limb at successive moments of the 1769 transit.Document

Primary source

Sketchings of the 1769 Venus Transit

James Cook and Charles Green · 1769

Engraved portrait of a man with white powdered hair, wearing a dark coat over a striped waistcoat and cravat, against a dark background. Below the portrait is a small scene of men in conflict on a shore, with figures wielding weapons. Inscriptions read N. Dance. del. and Rivers. sculp.Painting

Primary source

James Cook, engraving by Rivers after Dance-Holland

Nathaniel Dance-Holland · 1776

Engraved sea chart titled 'Chart of New Zealand, explored in 1769 and 1770' by Lieut. J. Cook, Commander of His Majesty's Bark Endeavour. Shows North and South Islands with coastal names, soundings, compass roses, and a rhumb-line grid. Title and an explanation box appear at top.Document

Primary source

Chart of New Zealand, explored in 1769 and 1770

James Cook · 1770

Ready when you are

Start chatting with James Cook now.

20 messages free · No credit card · Available in 50+ languages.

Trial Humy for freeGet a quote for institutions