Lot 887: George Schmidt (American/Louisiana, b. 1944) "The

George Schmidt (American/Louisiana, b. 1944) "The Pirate Lafitte Having Breakfast with the British", oil on canvas, signed lower left "Schmidt", 13" x 20". Presented in a custom-made triple-banded deep ebonized wood frame. In the words of the artist, Note: "This picture represents the meeting that was held in Barataria in 1814 between three British officers - two naval captains and a Royal Marine - and Jean Lafitte. The British fleet had entered the Gulf of Mexico and had come to negotiate with Lafitte to enlist his help in capturing New Orleans. Lafitte invited them to breakfast. The British had brought to Lafitte three offers: 1) a captaincy in the British navy, or 2) $25,000, or 3) if not agreeing to either of those offers, they would destroy his operations in the invasion. This image is based on two sources: the book "Lafitte the Pirate" by Lyle Saxon, and the letter that was sent by these naval officers to the British Admiralty in London describing the elaborateness of the breakfast and sumptuousness of the table setting. In this painting I have conflated two incidences in that far-off morning of 1814 - I have depicted Lafitte's men arriving at the breakfast and glaring angrily at the British, because in actuality when the British left the breakfast, Lafitte's men threw them into the calaboose, whereupon Lafitte ordered his men to release the British because they were their guests."