The Last Effort and Fall of Tippoo Sultaun

Tipu Sultan is shown in the last instant of his life, sinking against overwhelming odds. Despite all the preceding rhetoric about the threat he posed, his inability to resist the British might is depicted almost as a foregone conclusion. All of it is entirely imaginary: no one on the British side saw the moment when Tipu fell in battle, and his body was only discovered after its conclusion. Singleton shows us not how Tipu fell but how a British audience would like him to have done. The details of dress and architecture lend the scene credibility, and it was circulated widely.