John Hancock (oil on canvas)
John Singleton Copley
1765
John Hancock is depicted here at the time of the Stamp Act protests in which he played a prominent part. Though he was at this time the sole owner of the largest transatlantic shipping company in Boston and a man of extreme wealth, here he is depicted in relatively modest attire and surroundings. The depicted action, writing in a business ledger, is also unusual in a portrait of man of his class. This self-presentation can be interpreted as a politically astute response to increasing attacks on the privileges of elites in Boston.
Paul Revere (oil on canvas)
John Singleton Copley
1768
One of the major "icons" of American colonial painting, this is Copley's only finished portrait of an artisan at work. By 1768, Revere was an established and successful silversmith. According to Revere's own records, he made a total of nine teapots from 1762 to 1773. Teapots were among the most complex objects Revere crafted, and they represented his highest accomplishments as an artisan. Revere's production of teapots declined in response to the Townshend Acts of 1767, which imposed duties tea, as well as other imported goods. Holding a teapot, then, was a provocative way for Revere to present himself, especially given his radical politics.
Mr. Samuel Adams (oil on canvas)
John Singleton Copley
1770-72
This portrait shows Adams at the moment of his confrontation with Gov. Hutchinson the day after the Boston Massacre of March 5, 1770, demanding the withdrawal of Britich troops. He stands pointing to the charter and seal granted Massachusetts by King William and Queen Mary; in his other hand he holds the petition Instructions of the Town Boston. Note modesty of simple dark wool suit. The painting was commissioned by John Hancock, and widely copied in oil and print, becoming an instrument of propaganda.
Resource Link: The Writings of Samuel Adams
Mr. Samuel Adams (mezzotint)
Samuel Oakey, after John Singleton Copley
Newport, RI, April 1775
An example of a print derived from Copley's portrait. The text reads: "ADAMS rose in Warfare nobly try'd/His Country's Saviour, Father, Shield & Guide/Urg'd by her Wrongs, he wag'd ye glorious Strife/Nor paus'd to waste a Coward Thought on Life."