John Singleton CopleyAmerican, 1738–1815Henry Laurens
May one see it?
Yes, receiving visitors
On public display.
- Checked
- In this state since
- Source
- The museum
About the painting
Born Charles Town (now Charleston), South Carolina
National Portrait Gallery (Smithsonian)
Particulars
- Accession number
- NPG.65.45
What it shows
In the catalog
Sources
- National Portrait Gallery (Smithsonian)
- Image: National Portrait Gallery (Smithsonian) — National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution (CC0)
Meanwhile, in the life of John Singleton Copley
The whole life1774–1815 · Workplace
London
c. 1781
Chambers rebukes Copley over the private showing of his picture
“The Death of the Earl of Chatham” made Copley’s name as a history painter, but Sir William Chambers, in an open letter, objected to its being shown privately ahead of the Royal Academy exhibition, accusing the artist of purveying it like a raree-show to sell prints or raffle the picture. Copley wrote a caustic reply one morning and threw it into the fire that evening; engravings from the picture later sold well in England and America.
5 December 1782
The Stars and Stripes in Elkanah Watson’s portrait
After listening to George III’s speech formally acknowledging American independence, Copley paints the Stars and Stripes with a bold hand on a ship in the background of Elkanah Watson’s portrait. Watson himself imagined it to be the first American flag hoisted in Old England.
