John Singleton Copley Biography and Artwork

John Singleton Copley (1738-1815) was an American painter who is widely regarded as the finest artist of colonial America. He was born to Richard and Mary Singleton Copley, both Anglo-Irish, on July 3, 1738 in Boston, Massachusetts. His early life and education greatly influenced his career as a portraitist in colonial New England. Later in his career, he moved to London where he achieved great success as a history painter.

Throughout his impressive career spanning over several decades, Copley produced around 350 paintings which have become global masterpieces. He was known for portraying the wealthy people accurately and realistically in his portraits to an unprecedented degree. As a result of this success, he became arguably the most financially successful portraitist in colonial America.

Copley’s fame allowed him to travel frequently between Britain and America before he permanently settled there after the American Revolution began. During that time, Copley moved away from just being a portraitist towards painting historical events scenes. John Singleton Copley left behind numerous works of art that have made him one of the greatest painters of not just colonial American times but also global art history.

In conclusion, John Singleton Copley’s achievements were unique compared to other artists during his time period making him stand out among them. His work has inspired many artists all over North America and Europe which are still highly celebrated till this day thanks to its accuracy and realism standards set forth by John Singleton Copley himself.

All John Singleton Copley Artwork on Artchive

Artwork Name Year Medium
Mrs.James Warren (Mercy Otis) c.1763 oil,canvas
Mrs. Jerathmael Bowers c.1763 oil,canvas
Mrs.John Murray (Lucretia Chandler) 1763 oil,canvas
Mrs.John Scoally (Mercy Greenleaf) 1763 oil,canvas
Mrs. John Winthrop (Hannah Fayerweather) 1773 oil,canvas
Mrs. Moses Gill (Rebecca Boylston) 1773 oil,canvas
Mrs. Nathaniel Allen (Sarah Sargnet) c.1763 oil,canvas
Mrs.Richard Skinner 1772 oil,canvas
Mrs. Roger Morris (Mary Philipse) 1771 oil,canvas
Mrs. Samuel Hill c.1764 oil,canvas
Mrs.Samuel Quincy c.1761 oil,canvas
Mrs.Seymour Fort c.1778 oil,canvas
Mrs. Sylvanus Bourne 1766 oil,canvas
Mrs.Theodore Atkinson Jr 1765 oil,canvas
Mrs.Thomas Boylston 1766 oil,canvas
Mrs.William Eppes 1769 oil,canvas
Mrs. William Turner (Ann Dumaresq) 1767 pastel
Mrs.Woodbury Langdon 1767 oil,canvas
Mrs. Thomas Gage 1771 oil,canvas
Abigail Smith Babcock c.1774
Anne Erving, Mrs.Duncan Stewart
Ann Tyng 1756 oil,canvas
Nathaniel Sparhawk 1764 oil,canvas
Nicholas Boylston c.1769 oil,canvas
Painting of Samuel learning from Eli 1780
Paul Revere 1768 - 1770 oil,canvas
Portrait of a Gentleman c.1767 - 1783 oil,canvas
Portrait of a Lady 1771 oil,canvas
Portrait of a Woman 1755 oil,canvas
Portrait of Elizabeth Deering Wentworth Gould Rogers (also known as Mr. Nathaniel Rogers) c.1765
The Copley Family 1776 oil,canvas
Portrait of General Thomas Gage 1768 - 1769 oil,canvas
Baron Graham 1804 oil,canvas
Charles Cornwallis, First Marquis of Cornwallis c.1795
Charles I Demanding the Five Members in the House of Commons in 1642 1785 oil
Charles Pelham c.1753 - 1754 oil,canvas
Clark Gayton, Admiral of the White 1779 oil,canvas
Colonel John Montresor 1771 oil,canvas
Daniel Crommelin Verplanck 1771 oil,canvas
Dorothy Quincy c.1772 oil,canvas
Duncan Stewart of Ardsheal 1793
Portrait of George John Spencer, 2nd Earl Spencer
Portrait of Hugh Montgomerie, 12th Earl of Eglinton 1780 oil,canvas
Portrait of Joseph Warren c.1765
Portrait of Mrs. George Turner c.1767 pastel
Portrait of Mrs. Benjamin Pickman (Mary Toppan)
Portrait of Mrs.Gawen Brown 1763 pastel,paper
Portrait of Mrs. John Stevens (Judith Sargent, later Mr. John Murray) 1770 - 1772 oil,canvas
Portrait of Mrs.Paul Richard 1771 oil,canvas
Portrait of Nathaniel Allen 1763 oil,canvas
Portrait of Nathaniel Hurd 1765 - 1766 oil,canvas
Ebenezer Storer 1767 - 1769 pastel,paper
Eleazer Tyng 1772 oil,canvas
Elizabeth Goldthwaite (Mrs. Alexander Cumming) 1770 oil,canvas
Elkanah Watson 1782 oil,canvas
Epes Sargent oil,canvas
Epes Sargent II c.1764 oil,canvas
Eunice Dennie Burr 1758 - 1760 oil,canvas
Ezekiel Goldthwait 1771 oil,canvas
Fitch sisters 1800
George Augustus Eliott, 1st Baron Heathfield
Portrait of Rebecca Boylston 1767 oil,canvas
Portrait of the Salem oil,canvas
Portrait of William Murray 1815 oil,canvas
Portrait of Thomas Flucker 1770 - 1771 oil,canvas
Rebecca Boylston 1767 oil,canvas
Reverend Myles Cooper 1768 - 1769 oil,canvas
Reverend Thomas Cary c.1770 - c.1773 oil,canvas
Richard Heber 1782 oil,canvas
Sailors Maneuvering a Cannon 1810
Samuel Adams c.1770 - c.1772 oil,canvas
George IV c.1809 oil,canvas
George John, 2nd Earl Spencer 1799 - 1806 oil,canvas
Governor John Wentworth
Gregory Towsend 1756 pastel
Gulian Verplanck 1771 oil,canvas
Head of a Negro 1777 - 1778 oil,canvas
Henry Addington, First Viscount Sidmouth 1797 - 1798 oil,canvas
Henry Laurens 1782 oil,canvas
Henry Pelham c.1760 oil,canvas
Hugh Hall 1758 pastel,paper
Samuel Barrington
Samuel Verplanck 1771 oil,canvas
Saul Reproved by Samuel for Not Obeying the Commandments of the Lord 1798 oil,canvas
Self-portrait 1769
Self-portrait 1784 oil,canvas
Sir William Pepperrell and Family 1778 oil,canvas
Study for The Ascension 1774
Study for The Siege of Gibraltar 1785 - 1786 ink
Study for The Siege of Gibraltar, Figures Scaling Floating Battery Cannon 1785 - 1786
Isaac Smith 1769 oil,canvas
James Warren c.1763 oil,canvas
Jeremiah Lee 1769 oil,canvas
John, 2nd Viscount Dudley and Ward c.1782 - 1803 oil,canvas
John Bours 1763 oil,canvas
John Hancock c.1771 - c.1773 oil,canvas
John Hancock 1765 oil,canvas
John Hancock 1770 - 1772 oil,canvas
John Quincy Adams 1796 oil,canvas
John Spooner 1763 oil,canvas
Sylvester Gardiner c.1772 oil,canvas
Thaddeus Burr 1758 - 1760 oil,canvas
The Ascension 1775 oil,canvas
The Death of the Earl of Chatham 1781 oil
The Forge of Vulcan 1754 oil,canvas
The Gore Children c.1755 oil,canvas
The Major Peirson's Death 1782 - 1784 oil
The Nativity 1776 - 1777 oil,canvas
Theodore Atkinson Jr c.1757 - 1758 oil,canvas
Joseph Sherburne 1767 - 1770 oil,canvas
Latitia F. Balfour 1782 oil,canvas
Lemuel Cox 1770 oil,canvas
Lucretia Hubbard Towsend 1765 pastel
Lydia Lynde c.1762 - c.1764 oil,canvas
Martin Howard 1767 oil,canvas
Mary and Elizabeth Royall c.1758 oil,canvas
Midshipman Augustus Brine 1782 oil,canvas
Miles Sherbrook 1771 oil,canvas
Moses Gill c.1759
The Return of Neptune c.1754 oil,canvas
The Siege and Relief of Gibraltar 1783 oil,canvas
The Sitwell Family 1786 oil,canvas
The three youngest daughters of George III 1785 oil,canvas
The Tribute Money 1782 oil,canvas
The Victory of Lord Duncan 1789 - 1799 oil,canvas
The Western Brothers 1783 oil,canvas
Thomas Amory II c.1770 - c.1772 oil,canvas
Thomas Aston Coffin 1758 oil,canvas
Thomas Greene 1758 oil,canvas
Moses Gill 1764 oil,canvas
Mr.and Mrs.Isaac Winslow 1773 oil,canvas
Mr.and Mrs. Ralph Izard 1775 oil,canvas
Mr.and Mrs.Thomas Mifflin 1773 oil
Mrs. Anna Dummer Powell 1764
Mrs. Joseph Barrell (Hannah Fitch) c.1771 pastel,paper,canvas
Mrs. Joshua Henshaw II c.1772 oil,canvas
Mrs.Alice Hooper c.1763 oil,canvas
Mrs.Clark Gayton 1779 oil,canvas
Mrs.Daniel Denison Rogers c.1784 oil,canvas
Two Equestrian Figures 1803 - 1813 oil,canvas
William Vassall and His Son Leonard c.1770 - c.1772
Woodbury Langdon 1767 oil,canvas
Mrs.Daniel Hubbard (Mary Greene) 1764 oil,cardboard
Mrs. Daniel Sargent (Mary Turner Sargent) 1763 oil,canvas
Mrs. Ebenezer Storer (Mary Edwards) 1767 - 1769 pastel,paper
Mrs. Elizabeth Coffin Amory 1775 oil,canvas
Mrs.Epes Sargent 1764 oil,canvas
Mrs.Ezekiel Gondthwait (Elizabeth Lewis) 1771 oil,canvas
Mrs.George Watson (Elizabeth Oliver) 1765 oil,canvas
Mrs.Humphrey Devereux 1771 oil,canvas
Mrs. Isaac Smith 1769 oil,canvas
Mrs. James Russell (Katherine Graves) c.1770 oil,canvas
Mr. And Mrs. Thomas Mifflin (sarah Morris) 1773 Oil On Ticking
Nicholas Boylston 1767 Oil On Canvas
Watson and the Shark 1782 Oil on Canvas
Paul Revere c.1768 - 1770 Oil on Canvas
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