Photo Courtesy of the Cape Ann Museum. Photo Courtesy of the Cape Ann Museum. This looking glass, or mirror, dates from 1815-1820 and is on display in the Cape Ann Museum galleries. The reverse painting on glass depicts the battle between the Constitution and Guerriere off the coast of Cape Ann, one of the most heralded skirmishes of the War of 1812. After one cannon-ball bounced "harmlessly" off the side of the Constitution, a crew member is said to have yelled "Huzzah! Her sides are made of iron!" This battle, the first of several U.S. Navy victories in ship-to-ship contests, encouraged Americans and chagrined the British.
