This hand-colored stipple engraving of William Bainbridge was done by David Edwin after the original by Gilbert Stuart. After USS Constitution‘s defeat of HMS Java, Commodore Bainbridge and his crew became national heroes. On March 1, 1813, the Common Council of New York City voted to honor Bainbridge by commissioning his likeness for their Gallery of Portraits. This engraving was a means of publishing a facsimile of the portrait in the national press as well as providing prints of the portrait as commemoratives for the public. The engraving was part of a matted assemblage that included a depiction of Constitution's victory over HMS Java.