Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, Bentonville Arkansas.
A painting of colonial ship owner and merchant, Daniel Rogers, by John Singleton Copley
Oil on canvas. 50″ x 40 1/2″
In 1915: “This fine picture represents Mr. Rogers sitting sideways upon a chair. His dress is a plum-colored coat and a gold laced waistcoat. His hair is without powder. This portrait was exhibited at the exhibition of the Society of British Artists in London in 1768. It belongs to the Estate of Morrill Wyman of Cambridge, and is in the Boston Museum of Fine Arts.1”
1 The Life and Works of John Singleton Copley, by Frank W. Bayley of Copley Gallery, Boston, Massachusetts; 1915, Boston, The Taylor Press
{ 4 comments… read them below or add one }
Mike, how would you like to go to work each day dressed like that? The shoes unseen here, were usually black, medium heeled and pointed, with a big shiny silver or gold buckle. Dandies as they were so called, also carried lace-trimmed handkerchiefs, muffs, canes and snuff-boxes with beautifully painted tops. Snuff was considered very elegant.
I wonder how long it took to get dressed every morning?
Certainly doesn’t look comfortable, does it?
They mentioned that his hair wasn’t powdered so I am wondering if this is a rare portrait of him (or anyone from that generation for that matter) if it was the normal thing to be painted with powdered hair.
I suspect it was that the norm for portraits of the time to be painted with the male subjects hair powdered. Of course, I am far from being an expert on art of that time — or art of any time.