Thomas Sully

Thomas Sully, the 'Sir Thomas Lawrence of America,' painted over 2,300 works, including portraits of presidents and Queen Victoria.

ABOUT

Born in England in 1783 to actor parents, Thomas Sully emigrated to Charleston, South Carolina, with his family at age eight. After a brief stint as a tumbler and an insurance broker's apprentice, his artistic talent was recognized, and he began painting around age 12. He received early informal instruction from Charles Fraser and studied with his brother-in-law, Jean Belzons, before establishing himself as a professional painter in 1801. Sully's career truly took off after…

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NOTABLE WORKS

Sleeping Venus 1783 · The Metropolitan Museum of Art Mrs. Thomas Sully (Sarah Annis) 1802 · Metropolitan Museum of Art Madame Jerome Bonaparte (Elizabeth Patterson) 1805 · The Metropolitan Museum of Art Sketches of Two Women, a Man Fighting a Beast, Two Furniture Fragments (from Sketchbook) 1810 · The Metropolitan Museum of Art Horseman Addressing Two Women; Palette, Brushes in Artist's Hands, Picture and Easel Beyond; Putto Blowing Clarion (from Sketchbook) 1810 · The Metropolitan Museum of Art Five Nude Bathers (from Sketchbook) 1810 · The Metropolitan Museum of Art

See all of Thomas's works in Art Whisper

INFLUENCES

Influenced by

Benjamin WestNeoclassicism Gilbert StuartPortraiture Thomas LawrenceRomanticism

Influenced

Marcus Aurelius RootDaguerreotypy John NeaglePortraiture Jacob EichholtzPortraiture