John Singleton Copley
American, 1738 - 1815, active in England
NationalityBritish
BiographyJohn 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.
Person TypeIndividual
American, 1868 - 1932
Alternative Names: Alfred Henry Maurer
American, 1738 - 1820
Alternative Names: Benjamin West
British, 1727-1788
Alternative Names: Thomas Gainsborough
British, 1747-1801
Alternative Names: Francis Wheatley
British, 1818 - 1845
Alternative Names: Jane Carr
American, 1805 - 1873
Alternative Names: Hiram Powers
British, 1787-1849
Alternative Names: William Etty
American, 1850s - 1924
Alternative Names: Arabella (Yarrington) Huntington
British, 1836 - 1912
Alternative Names: Lawrence Alma-Tadema
British, 1723-1792
Alternative Names: Joshua Reynolds
American, 1755 - 1828
Alternative Names: Gilbert Stuart
American, 1834 - 1903
Alternative Names: James Abbot McNeill Whistler