John Singleton Copley

John Singleton Copley was possibly born in Boston on July 3, 1738 and died in London, September 9, 1815.

The predominant portrait painter in Boston before the American Revolution, Copley went on to achieve importance in both portrait and history painting in England. He formed his early style by studying British prints of the late seventeenth and early eighteenth century, and was particularly influenced by the work of Thomas Hudson. In 1765 he began to send paintings to London for exhibition at the Society of Artists, and he solicited the advice of Benjamin West and Joshua Reynolds. In 1774, he left America for Europe, and, after a year-long Italian sojourn, settled in London. He continued to paint portraits, but in a very different style from those executed in America. His paintings of contemporary events, such as Watson and the Shark (1778) and the Death of Major Peirson (1782-4), were important milestones in history painting.