Buried treasure is a literary trope commonly associated with depictions of pirates, alongside Vikings, criminals, and Old West outlaws. According to popular conception, these people often buried their stolen fortunes in remote places, intending to return to them later.
Howard Pyle illustration of pirates burying Captain Kidd's treasure, from Howard Pyle's Book of Pirates.
William Kidd also known as Captain William Kidd or simply Captain Kidd, was a Scottish privateer. Conflicting accounts exist regarding his early life, but he was likely born in Dundee and later settled in New York City. By 1690, Kidd had become a highly successful privateer, commissioned to protect English interests in North America and the West Indies.
Portrait by James Thornhill
Captain Kidd in New York Harbor, in a c. 1920 painting by Jean Leon Gerome Ferris
The Charles Galley, a contemporary vessel of a comparable design to Adventure Galley
Howard Pyle's fanciful painting of Kidd and his ship, Adventure Galley, in New York Harbor