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John Singleton Copley

American painter (1738-1815) · United States · On the map · Artists · Died at 77

John Singleton Copley was an American-born British painter active in both the Thirteen Colonies and England. He is believed to have been born in Boston, Province of Massachusetts Bay, to Richard and Mary Singleton Copley, both Anglo-Irish.

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Awards

Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences

About this person

After becoming well-established as a portrait painter of the wealthy in colonial New England, he moved to London in 1774, never returning to America. In London, he met considerable success as a portraitist for the next two decades, and also painted a number of large history paintings, which were innovative in their readiness to depict modern subjects and modern dress. His later years were less successful, and he died heavily in debt. He was father of John Copley, 1st Baron Lyndhurst and half-brother of Henry Pelham, the American painter, engraver, and cartographer.

Country
United States
Category
Artists
Type
Artist
Status
Deceased
Dates
Lived 1738 to 1815 · aged 77