Midshipman Augustus Brine
Particulars
- Accession number
- 43.86.4
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.
