John Singleton Copley

Happy Birthday John Singleton Copley!! This American portrait painter was born in 1738. Self-taught, he developed a distinguished and direct portrait style. Copley was well-traveled and left America for good in 1774, settling in London. Competition with other portrait artists led to a change in Copley’s style, leaving him best loved for his images of children. His primary achievement however, is the large scale historical and genre scenes, such as the one below: Brook Watson and the Shark. The painting is of an actual shark attack in Havana, Cuba harbor. Brook Watson was a 14-year-old orphan who worked on a trading ship and was swimming alone when he was attacked. He was rescued after multiple bite wounds and lived a full life!