Virtual Museum of Art | Virtual Museum of History | Virtual Public Library | Virtual Science Center | Virtual Museum of Natural History | Virtual War Museum
   You are in: Museum of Art >> Hall of American Art >> John Singleton Copley





The Seven Flags of the New Orleans Tri-Centennial

For More Information go to New Orleans 300th Birthday


 


John Singleton Copley

1738-1815

COPLEY, John Singleton, painter, born in Boston, Massachusetts., 3 July, 1737; died in London, 9 September, 1815. I le is commonly called self-taught, but he probably received some instruction from his stepfather, Peter Pelham, who died in 1751. Boston was then a small provincial town where art was almost unknown and good instruction unattainable. Young Copley began at an early age to see visions of lovely forms and faces, which nature impelled him to reproduce with such materials as he could procure or make for himself. In the uncongenial atmosphere of colonial Boston such talent was phenomenal, and, as he was really successful in producing likenesses, he soon gained local celebrity by executing portraits of many members of the leading families, as is still attested by almost every notable collection in the city. 

In 1760 he sent to Benjamin West, in England, without name or address, a portrait, which at once gave him a place among artists of recognized merit. This painting is known as "The Boy and the Flying Squirrel," and represents the artist's half-brother, Henry Pelham. Through West's influence the picture was exhibited at Somerset house. Its American origin was at once suspected, because the wood of the stretching-frame was made of American pine but the authorship was not decided until, after long delay, the letter of transmittal reached England.  In 1767, on West's nomination, Copley was elected a fellow of the Society of artists of Great Britain.  In 1769 he married Susannah, daughter of Richard Clarke, a lineal descendant of Mary Chillton, who came from England in the "Mayflower." The first years of  their married life were passed in Boston, in a solitary house on Beacon Hill, where four children were born, including the son that became  lord chancellor of England. During these years correspondence had continued with English admirers, and in 1774 Copley sailed for England, and after a short sojourn there visited Italy, spending a year in studying the old masters, and then settled in London. Here he was joined by his wife, and he thenceforward made it his home. He rose with almost unprecedented rapidity to the height of professional fame. He was patronized by the royal family and the nobility, and met with uninterrupted success. 

In 1777 he was elected an associate member, and in 1779 a full member, of the Royal academy. When he sent copies of the engraving of his picture, " The Death  of Chatham," to Washington and John Adams, the former wrote, " It is rendered more estimable in my eye when I remember that America gave birth to the celebrated artist who produced it." Adams said, "I shall preserve my copy both as a token of your friendship and as an indubitable proof of American genius." Although he was essentially a portrait-painter, Copley composed some large historical works, of which the ' Death of Chatham, the "Death of Major Pierson," and the " Siege of Gibraltar" are in the National gallery, London. The first two of these and his "Charles I. Demanding  in the House of Commons the Five Impeached Members" were engraved and became very popular.  Among his other historical works are "Offer of the Crown to Lady Jane Gray " (1808); " King Charles signing Strafford's Death-Warrant" ; "Assassination of Buckingham "; " Battle of the Boyne"; "King Charles addressing the Citizens of London"; "The Five Impeached :Members brought back in Triumph"; and " The King's Escape from Hampton Court." 

Among his best portrait compositions are "The Daughters of George III." (Buckingham Palace); "The Family Picture" (Charles Amory, Boston): " The Red Cross Knight" (1788, S. G. Dexter, Boston); " Mrs. Derby as St. Cecilia" (W. Appleton, Boston); and "Mrs. died D. Rogers" (1789, H. born Rogers, Boston). Most of Copley's best works were collected by Ills son, Lord Chancellor Lyndhurst, and were dispersed at his sale in 1864.  See A, T. Perkins's "Life of J. S. Copley" (1873); "Memorial History of Boston" IV. (1881); and Mrs. Martha born Amory's "Life of J. S. Copley" (1882).

*His son, John Singleton, Jr., afterward Baron Lyndhurst, born in Boston, 21 May, 1772; died at Tunbridge Wells, England, 11 October, 1863. His father attempted to educate him as an artist ; but he had no taste for that profession, and is credited with having declared in a fit of childish impatience that coming generations should speak of "Copley the father of the lord chancellor, not of Copley the son of the painter." He was graduated with high honor at Cambridge in 1795, and shortly afterward visited the United States with a view to regain his father's property in Boston, which had been sold through a mistake. This he failed to accomplish, but spent some time in this country, visiting Washington at Mount Vernon, and traveling extensively through the northern and middle Atlantic states. Of his experiences he made copious notes and wrote descriptive letters in Latin to the vice-chancellor of Cambridge university. Returning to England in 1798, he was called to the bar in 1804, and entered parliament in 1818. In 1827 he became chancellor, and was raised to the peerage as Baron Lyndhurst of Lyndhurst, 27 April the same year. He was twice married, but, as he had no male issue, the title lapsed at his death. See Lord John Campbell's "Lives of the Lord Chancellors" (7 vols., London, 1846-'7) ; "Select Biographical Sketches," by William Heath Bennet ; "Life of John Singleton Copley" (supra); and "Life of Lord Lyndhurst," by Sir Theodore Martin (London, 1883). -- Edited Appleton's Cyclopedia American Biography Copyright© 2001 by VirtualologyTM

Research Links

Virtualology is not affiliated with the authors of these links nor responsible for each Link's content.

WebMuseum: Copley, John Singleton
... Sept. 9, 1815, London, Eng.) Generally considered the finest painter of colonial
America, John Singleton Copley painted portraits and historical subjects. His ...

NGA - John Singleton Copley
HOME, Tour: John Singleton Copley (American, 1738-1815). ... Room, 1. 1, John Singleton
Copley, Jane Browne, 1756. 2, John Singleton Copley, Epes Sargent, c. 1760. ...

America's First Great Portrait Artist - The Early America ...
... Foremost among these was John Singleton Copley. Born in Boston in 1738, Copley
was influenced by the mezzotints of his stepfather, Peter Pelham, and the ...

John Singleton Copley on the Internet
Artcyclopedia: John Singleton Copley Posters More Artists John Singleton
Copley. ... John Singleton Copley Posters and Prints. ...

Collection Tours - John Singleton Copley Exhibition
... John Singleton Copley (1738 1815) enjoyed a triumphant career in America before
his departure for England in 1774. his respect for exacting craftmanship and ...

CGFA- John Singleton Copley
Advertisement- Click to help keep this site on the web!
Click Here. To Biography. Graphic Charles ...

Yahoo! Arts > Artists > Masters > Painters > Copley, John ...
... all of Yahoo! just this category. America's First Great Portrait Artist - from The
Early America Review, Summer 1997. Artchive: Copley; Copley [cjackson]; Watson ...

John Singleton Copley 1738
Return to Front Page Back one page. John Singleton Copley 1738-1815
by Vivien Knight, Guildhall Art Gallery Curator. ...

Reynolda House, Museum of American Art, John Singleton Copley
Reynolda House, Museum of American Art. ... John Singleton
Copley, 1738-1815. Copley was the ...

Malaspina.com - John Singleton Copley (1738-1815)
... Please visit our sponsors. Click Here to Visit our Sponsor ... John Singleton Copley
(1738-1815) [WebMuseum Poster from Barewalls]. 7Search.com. ...

John Singleton Copley
... Shop at Amazon.com Search This Site. Click to learn more... John Singleton Copley
Shop Home > Artists, Architects, and Photographers > John Singleton Copley ...

10/2/95 ART: How John Singleton Copley became colonial ...
TIME Magazine. October 9, 1995 Volume 146, No. 15 ... ART. RISING STAR. How John
Singleton Copley became colonial America's best portraitist. ...

John Singleton Copley (1738-1815) : Library of Congress ...
... John Singleton Copley (1738-1815) : Library of Congress Citations. ... Name Citations
[1 Record]. Heading: Copley, John Singleton, 1738-1815. ...

JOHN SINGLETON COPLEY
JOHN SINGLETON COPLEY 1737-1815 Mrs. Daniel Rea and Child,
1757. Oil on canvas, 49 X 39" (124.50 x 99. 10 cm.). ...

"Almost a Deception ..."John Singleton Copley and Company in ...
... Almost a Deception ..."John Singleton Copley and Company in Williamsburg. Boston-born
painter John Singleton Copley (1738-1815) is widely regarded as the ...

Encyclopedia.com - Results for Copley, John Singleton
... Carpenter, tailor, shoemaker, artist: Copley and portrait painting around 1770. (John
Singleton Copley) ; The Art Bulletin Rather, Susan; 06-01-1997, Size: 115K. ...

John Singleton Copley - Reference Page
... John Singleton Copley - Reference Page Galleries and
Dealers. Catalogued Past Exhibitions. Images. ...

John Singleton Copley @ Catharton Artists
... Catharton: Artists: C: Copley, John Singleton. John Singleton Copley. 1738 - 1815.
Share your knowledge with the world. Submit an article about this artist. ...

Copley, John Singleton - art posters - prints - books - ...
Click here Click here John Singleton Copley. Home > Fine Art > Portrait
Painters > John Singleton Copley. ... Books Videos DVD's, ...

LYNDHURST, JOHN SINGLETON COPLEY, BARON. The Columbia ...
... The Columbia Encyclopedia: Sixth Edition. 2000. Lyndhurst,
John Singleton Copley, Baron ...

Harvard University Press/John Singleton Copley
Home Search Browse Site ... Ordering Information ... JOHN SINGLETON
COPLEY. JULES DAVID PROWN. January 1966 ...

John Singleton Copley
John Singleton Copley. www.kunstposter.de - Ein poster.de
Affiliate. Schnellsuche. John Singleton ...

Britannica
... National Gallery of Art Tour: John Singleton Copley National Gallery of Art Examination
of paintings by Copley in the collection of the National Gallery of Art ...

artnet.com - Artist Biography (John Singleton Copley)
... Artist: John Singleton Copley (1738 - 1815) American, Group Exhibitions, Year(s),
Title, Venue, Location, 1877, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, MA, ...

CGFA- Bio: John Singleton Copley
Advertisement- Click to help keep this site on the web! Click
Here. John Singleton Copley (1738-1815). ...

CGFA- Bio: John Singleton Copley
Click Here. John Singleton Copley (1738-1815). Special
thanks to the Microsoft Corporation ...

John Singleton Copley in America; Barratt, Carrie Rebora (Edt ...
John Singleton Copley in America; Barratt, Carrie Rebora (Edt)/ Staiti, Paul/
Hirshler, Erica E. (Cor) - Hardcover, ... John Singleton Copley in America. ...

John Singleton Copley
John Singleton Copley. Mrs. Daniel Hubbard, Mrs. Daniel Hubbard. Oil on canvas,
c. 1764; 127.6 x 100.9 cm The Art Institute Purchase Fund, 1947.28. ...

Information about US FDC: 5 John Singleton Copley: American ...
5 John Singleton Copley American Artists Series. First
Day of Issue: September 17, 1965. ...

Portrait of John Winthrop by John Singleton Copley...
It rarely makes sense to think that when a century
changes or one designated "era" gives ...

CMA - John Singleton Copley and Margaret Kemble Gage
... of the work of America s greatest artist of the 18th century, John Singleton Copley
An eighteenth-century fascination with Turkey and the Orient as the site of ...

John Singleton Copley posters
John Singleton Copley posters. www.3wposter.com -
A postershop.com affiliate. Quicksearch. John ...

John Singleton Copley
Click Here John Singleton Copley. www.europosters.com
- A postershop.com affiliate. Quicksearch. ...

John Singleton Copley
Click Here John Singleton Copley. www.artprints4sale.com
- A postershop.com affiliate. Quicksearch. ...

John Singleton Copley Poster
John Singleton Copley Poster. www.posterdiscount.de
- Ein poster.de Affiliate. Schnellsuche. John ...

Timken Museum: Copley, John Singleton
... in. x 40 in. In 1771 John Singleton Copley left his native Boston for a half-year
stay in New York where he undertook numerous portrait commissions. One of his ...

John Singleton Copley
... click on image to see an enlarged version -. John Singleton
Copley (1738-1815) Lydia Lynde, ca. 1762-64. ...

Slider.com Encyclopeadia: Lyndhurst, John Singleton Copley, ...
... Lyndhurst, John Singleton Copley, Baron. 1772–1863,
British jurist, b. Boston, Mass ...

Records for America abandoned, John Singleton Copley's ...
America abandoned, John Singleton Copley's American years, 1738-1774
: an interpretative history. Record 1 of 1. ...

The John Singleton Copley
The John Singleton Copley. Gallery. Mary MacIntosh
Royall &. Elizabeth Royall. 17.5x20.2. JSC001. ...

John Singleton Copley in America by Stebbins, Theodore E.
... John Singleton Copley in America by Stebbins, Theodore E. ... Title, John Singleton
Copley in America. Author, Stebbins, Theodore E. Author, Troyen, Carol. ...

i-Galleries Art Portal - Artists - John Singleton Copley
... C: Copley, John Singleton: Watson and the Shark - Comprehensive article at The
National Gallery of Art about John Singleton Copley and his famous painting. ...

Lyndhurst, John Singleton Copley, Baron
... encyclopedia Encyclopedia Lyndhurst, John Singleton
Copley, Baron. Lyndhurst, John Singleton ...

Lyndhurst, John Singleton Copley, Baron
Click here to see more! ... encyclopedia Encyclopedia Lyndhurst,
John Singleton Copley, Baron. ...
www.factmonster.com/ce6/people/A0830737.html - 20k - Cached - Similar pages

Lyndhurst, John Singleton Copley, Baron
... A fundraising program that gives a percentage of every purchase to your school.
encyclopedia Encyclopedia Lyndhurst, John Singleton Copley, Baron. ...

Start your search on John Singleton Copley.


The Congressional Evolution of the United States Henry Middleton


Unauthorized Site: This site and its contents are not affiliated, connected, associated with or authorized by the individual, family, friends, or trademarked entities utilizing any part or the subject's entire name. Any official or affiliated sites that are related to this subject will be hyper linked below upon submission and Evisum, Inc. review.

Research Links

  • Artcyclopedia
  • Web Gallery of Art
  • Web Museum   

    Copyright© 2000 by Evisum Inc.TM. All rights reserved.
    Evisum Inc.TM Privacy Policy

  • Search:

    About Us

     

     

    Image Use

    Please join us in our mission to incorporate The Congressional Evolution of the United States of America discovery-based curriculum into the classroom of every primary and secondary school in the United States of America by July 2, 2026, the nation’s 250th birthday. , the United States of America: We The People Click Here

     

    Historic Documents

    Articles of Association

    Articles of Confederation 1775

    Articles of Confederation

    Article the First

    Coin Act

    Declaration of Independence

    Declaration of Independence

    Emancipation Proclamation

    Gettysburg Address

    Monroe Doctrine

    Northwest Ordinance

    No Taxation Without Representation

    Thanksgiving Proclamations

    Mayflower Compact

    Treaty of Paris 1763

    Treaty of Paris 1783

    Treaty of Versailles

    United Nations Charter

    United States In Congress Assembled

    US Bill of Rights

    United States Constitution

    US Continental Congress

    US Constitution of 1777

    US Constitution of 1787

    Virginia Declaration of Rights

     

    Historic Events

    Battle of New Orleans

    Battle of Yorktown

    Cabinet Room

    Civil Rights Movement

    Federalist Papers

    Fort Duquesne

    Fort Necessity

    Fort Pitt

    French and Indian War

    Jumonville Glen

    Manhattan Project

    Stamp Act Congress

    Underground Railroad

    US Hospitality

    US Presidency

    Vietnam War

    War of 1812

    West Virginia Statehood

    Woman Suffrage

    World War I

    World War II

     

    Is it Real?



    Declaration of
    Independence

    Digital Authentication
    Click Here

     

    America’s Four Republics
    The More or Less United States

     
    Continental Congress
    U.C. Presidents

    Peyton Randolph

    Henry Middleton

    Peyton Randolph

    John Hancock

      

    Continental Congress
    U.S. Presidents

    John Hancock

    Henry Laurens

    John Jay

    Samuel Huntington

      

    Constitution of 1777
    U.S. Presidents

    Samuel Huntington

    Samuel Johnston
    Elected but declined the office

    Thomas McKean

    John Hanson

    Elias Boudinot

    Thomas Mifflin

    Richard Henry Lee

    John Hancock
    [
    Chairman David Ramsay]

    Nathaniel Gorham

    Arthur St. Clair

    Cyrus Griffin

      

    Constitution of 1787
    U.S. Presidents

    George Washington 

    John Adams
    Federalist Party


    Thomas Jefferson
    Republican* Party

    James Madison 
    Republican* Party

    James Monroe
    Republican* Party

    John Quincy Adams
    Republican* Party
    Whig Party

    Andrew Jackson
    Republican* Party
    Democratic Party


    Martin Van Buren
    Democratic Party

    William H. Harrison
    Whig Party

    John Tyler
    Whig Party

    James K. Polk
    Democratic Party

    David Atchison**
    Democratic Party

    Zachary Taylor
    Whig Party

    Millard Fillmore
    Whig Party

    Franklin Pierce
    Democratic Party

    James Buchanan
    Democratic Party


    Abraham Lincoln 
    Republican Party

    Jefferson Davis***
    Democratic Party

    Andrew Johnson
    Republican Party

    Ulysses S. Grant 
    Republican Party

    Rutherford B. Hayes
    Republican Party

    James A. Garfield
    Republican Party

    Chester Arthur 
    Republican Party

    Grover Cleveland
    Democratic Party

    Benjamin Harrison
    Republican Party

    Grover Cleveland 
    Democratic Party

    William McKinley
    Republican Party

    Theodore Roosevelt
    Republican Party

    William H. Taft 
    Republican Party

    Woodrow Wilson
    Democratic Party

    Warren G. Harding 
    Republican Party

    Calvin Coolidge
    Republican Party

    Herbert C. Hoover
    Republican Party

    Franklin D. Roosevelt
    Democratic Party

    Harry S. Truman
    Democratic Party

    Dwight D. Eisenhower
    Republican Party

    John F. Kennedy
    Democratic Party

    Lyndon B. Johnson 
    Democratic Party 

    Richard M. Nixon 
    Republican Party

    Gerald R. Ford 
    Republican Party

    James Earl Carter, Jr. 
    Democratic Party

    Ronald Wilson Reagan 
    Republican Party

    George H. W. Bush
    Republican Party 

    William Jefferson Clinton
    Democratic Party

    George W. Bush 
    Republican Party

    Barack H. Obama
    Democratic Party

    Please Visit

    Forgotten Founders
    Norwich, CT

    Annapolis Continental
    Congress Society


    U.S. Presidency
    & Hospitality

    © Stan Klos

     

     

     

     


    Virtual Museum of Art | Virtual Museum of History | Virtual Public Library | Virtual Science Center | Virtual Museum of Natural History | Virtual War Museum