John Singleton Copley | |
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![]() Self-Portrait, c. 1769, Winterthur Museum, Garden and Library, Delaware | |
Born | |
Died | September 9, 1815 London, England | (aged 77)
Education | Peter Pelham |
Known for | Portraiture |
Notable work | Watson and the Shark (1778) |
Spouse | Susanna Clark |
Children | John Copley, 1st Baron Lyndhurst |
Parent(s) | Richard Copley and Mary Singleton Copley |
John Singleton Copley /ˈkɑːpli/ RA (July 3, 1738[1] – September 9, 1815) was an Anglo-American painter, active in both colonial America and England. He was believed to be born in Boston, Province of Massachusetts Bay, to Richard and Mary Singleton Copley, both Anglo-Irish. After becoming well-established as a portrait painter of the wealthy in colonial New England,[2][3] he moved to London in 1774, never returning to America. In London, he met considerable success as a portraitist for the next two decades, and also painted a number of large history paintings, which were innovative in their readiness to depict modern subjects and modern dress. His later years were less successful, and he died heavily in debt. He was father of John Copley, 1st Baron Lyndhurst and half-brother of Henry Pelham, the American American painter, engraver, and cartographer.
His many portraits of influential New Englanders—merchants, clergymen, lawyers—were remarkable for their craftsmanlike polish and clarity of design.
… his superbly crafted, realistic portraits of a prosperous and materialistic colonial society won him esteem and prosperity.
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