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Middleton Collection |
John Singleton Copley
American, 1738-1815
Mrs.
Daniel Rogers (Elizabeth Gorham Rogers), 1762
oil on canvas
50” x 40”
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By 1762, when the 34-year-old Boston artist John Singleton Copley painted this extraordinary picture of the stylish Mrs. Daniel Rogers, he had secured his position as the leading portrait painter in the American colonies. His
early portraits of New England gentry show an emphasis on line,
strong value contrasts, and clarity of parts. This painting exhibits
a sophistication and visual opulence characteristic of his mature
work.
Copley knew he was the best artist in Boston, but he wearied of
painting portraits. He was ambitious, and he wanted to compete
in a more cosmopolitan arena. Mrs. Rogers is one of two paintings
that Copley sent to Benjamin West, the American colonial artist
who worked at George III's court, to see if West thought that
he could succeed in the larger pond of London. Eventually Copley
did leave America for England, and he and West became friendly
rivals.
Elizabeth Gorham had married Daniel Rogers three years before
Copley painted the pendant portraits of the two. Mr. Rogers is
currently in the collection of the Boston Museum of Fine Arts,
while Mrs. Rogers resides in Winston-Salem.
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