Evening star., 1937-09-25
COPLEY, AMERICAN MASTER
His Work Notably Represented in Additions Collection of
Portraits at Corcoran Gallery of Art-Geniuses Who
Sprang FullFledged Into Fame

had his period of travel and study, bu,
before it was completed the Revolu-
tionary War came or and his wife de.
cided it expedient to leave America
with her Tory father and her little
children. Copley found them in Lon
don in ITS when he returned from
his travels in Europe, and there he
remained until his death in 1915: al
ways expecting, however, to return to
Boston, always calling himself an
American painter.
His success as a painter in England
was astoundingly large, when one con-
siders the greatness of the English
school of portrait painting of the Pc
riod, and that it was with such men
as Reynolds, Romney, Lawrence and
Hoppner that he was in competition
West took pains to introduce him and
advance his interests, but it was to
Copley's good painting and intelligence
that his success was actually due.
Among the most famous works of
his English period were historic can
vases representing the Death of Lord
Chatham" and The Death of Mai
Person. both Of which now hang in
the Tate Gallery, London, and by per-
mission Of Parliament were lent to the
Copley exhibition held at the Metro
polltan Museum of Art in New York
The former depicts William Pitt Gord
Chatham) just after his collapse in
the House of Lords, where he had gone
to plead the cause of the Colonies. Its
composition comprises 55 portraits of
parlamentarians and by-standers.
THERE is disagreement among
critics as to the comparative
merits of Copley's work done in Amer
lea and that produced in London. The
former is certainly more direct and
simple, the latter shows greater suavity
and technical excellence. Sor,e claim
that the latter is "overelegant," but
had he not been influenced by the
fashions of the day. it would have been
strange indeed. That he held to his
own individuality throughout is SUM-
GENTLY remarkable.
Cuthbert Lee, in his admirable book
on Early American Portrait Paint
ers," calls attention to the fact that,
as insidious as is the term. Copley
and his colleagues, West, Stuart and
Malbone. were fashionable portrait
painters" What brought them clients
was pre-eminently their artistic abil-
ity. but this was not ala substan-
tial number of their patrons had
natures which quickened at the sight
of beauty and had cultural back
grounds which demanded artistic
worth" Also, the painters them
selves had the ability to get along
pleasantly with their fellow-men, were
keen-minded, warm-hearted. interest
ing and agreeable men to meet and
to know" They. as we'll as their
art. were esteemed.
The prices they asked for their
works were, as compared to prices
today, extremely small, but the pur-
chasing power of money was much
greater then than now. and the sue
cessful painters tsuch as Copley)
earned a very substantial income.
West charged only f5 for portraits
painted ~ America and Copley about
Ell. But during his Winter in New
York his commissions brough him in
over 300 guineas and he was able
also to maintain an elaborate estab-
lishmen in London until his vogue
dwindled. Let it not be forgotten
that these painters so priced today
were priced and duly rewarded in
their own day. Successful then, their
works were high-priced and mar
ketable as now.
1t is an interesting thought in
connection with the early American
portrait painters that they seem to
have sprung full-fledged into con-