John Singleton Copley was described by family members as a quiet and retiring man possessing great powers of concentration. He was consumed with the idea of perfecting his art. He was also characterized as a tender and thoughtful man, one who supported a sizable family through his art commissions. Copley's contemporaries noted that his artistic success was achieved through great personal sacrifice and long hours of work.

"A stunning biography…[A] truly singular account of the American Revolution." —Amanda Foreman, author of A World on Fire Through an intimate narrative of the life of painter John Singleton Copley, award-winning historian Jane Kamensky reveals the world of the American Revolution, rife with divided loyalties and tangled sympathies. Famed today for his portraits of patriot leaders like Samuel Adams and Paul Revere, Copley is celebrated as one of America’s founding artists. But, married to the daughter of a tea merchant and seeking artistic approval from abroad, he could not sever his own ties with Great Britain. Rather, ambition took him to London just as the war began. His view from abroad as rich and fascinating as his harrowing experiences of patriotism in Boston, Copley’s refusal to choose sides cost him dearly. Yet to this day, his towering artistic legacy remains shared by America and Britain alike.

****Reprint of the 1948 edition (Boston: Houghton Mifflin Co.), which is cited in BCL3; in 1939, a lesser version was published as part of Flexner's book America's Old Masters (The Viking Press). Biographical detail and astute art criticism are combined in this study of an exceptional self-taught artist who was born in Boston in 1738, and moved to London to escape the turmoil of the Revolution. Includes 32 full-page reproductions of Copley's paintings, some in color. Annotation copyright by Book News, Inc., Portland, OR