Handling. Each week, American History tvs american artifacts visit s museums and historic places. The National Gallery of art was a gift to the American People from financier Andrew Mellon who served as treasury secretary until 1932. Up next, we visit the museum to learn about early american portrait painting and work of John Singleton copley. Dianne hello. We are standing in a room full a portrait by John Singleton copley, americas most important colonial portrait painter. I think as we look around the room, you can think back to the words of john adams 1817 who said when you see his portraits, you want a discourse with him, you want to ask him questions and receive answers. Let me give you some background. In the early part of the 18th century, american early painters without much background and training made ambitious but tentative likenesses onture canvas because portraiture was really the only way to do that. It was the most important type of painting in the colonies. There was a
National galleria of art was a gift to the American People from financier Andrew Mellon who served as treasury secretary until 1932. Up next, we visit the museum to learn about early american portrait painting and the work of John Singleton copley. Dianne hello. I am dianne stevens. We are standing in a room full of portraits by John Singleton copley, americas most important colonial portrait painter. I think as we look around the room, you can think back to the words of john adams, 1817, who said when you see his portraits, you want a discourse with him. You want to ask him questions and receive answers. Let me give you some background. In the early part of the 18th century, early american painters without much background and training made ambitious but tentative efforts to capture likenesses on canvas because portraiture was really the only way to do that. It was the most important type of painting in the colonies. There was a great flourishing of activity that became elevated to a l
The british soldier and british commander of the area. He wrote to him offering intelligence in exchange for protection from the soldiers for some cash. This was not discovered until the 20th century when clintons papers went to the Clements Library in ann arbor and this correspondence was discovered. So it doesnt look like he got much assistance, much protection, or much cash because his circumstances were considerably reduced after the war. He and his wife moved to providence where they set up a shop. He became a shopkeeper and they had a boardinghouse. So the question is, did ann know about his traitorous activities . We dont know, but it doesnt take away from this beautiful portrait of this very young, very confident, selfassured looking young woman with her beautiful garland of flowers and her beautiful lace sleeves. Another portrait in this room of a woman by copley is this one of Abigail Smith babcock, the wife of another wealthy merchant, who was not a spy. He was a patriot, an
But she has the beads of the garnet wound around her fingers. Its a lovely portrait. Youll see as we go through the galleries that many times the husband and wife were painted or children, son and daughterinlaw were painted. These were family portraits or efforts to portray the whole family. I think they would have been the only way of recording a likeness because photography wasnt available yet. So they were there and probably hung in homes unless they were in some cases commissioned for political like for a state house or Something Like that, but these are personal that were looking. Copley lived on beacon hill in boston. Hed had a quite lucrative business as a portrait painter. This is one of the last ones actually, i do remember that he painted her husband as well, mr. Adam babcock. These paintings were done in 1774, which were some of the last ones copley painted before he left boston for europe. He had a lucrative practice. 1774, he knew torreys and he knew patriots. He didnt see
Massachusetts merchant and political figure. He was 82 when this was painted. Copleys shown him just as he was. Youll notice the way hes painted the face and the hands is a little different. This is 12 years later. Copleys changed his technique, so the hands are painted with al little bit more fluid paint and in the face as well. Its easier to show the details, so copley is changing and developing as he goes along through his career in boston. Il so copleys portraits of men po show you these very substantial realistic figures that look ial comfortable in their setting an you have a sense that they had, these two men especially, that , theyve had successful lives and theyre in a good place. His paintings of women sometimee are just so ravishingly beautiful in their attention to fabric and texture and the o beauty of the skin, like this portrait of Anne Fairchild bowler. Ms. Metcalfe bowler. This was painted in 1763, so about the same time he was proac painting epes sergeant, but its a t