Commentary: Previously we published Frederick C. “Rick” Detwiller’s assertion, accompanied by compelling circumstantial evidence, that controversial Patriot James Swan (1751-1830) is depicted as the heroic protector of the mortally wounded Dr. Joseph Warren in the central vignette of John Trumbull’s iconic historical painting Bunker’s Hill. The painting begs understanding on several levels, as it was, […]
John Singleton Copley
Source: Yale University Art Gallery, New Haven, CT. (left) Major General Joseph Warren study for Bunker Hill, not dated [1785], by John Trumbull (1756-1843), accession #1952.3.1b. The sketch has never been published or displayed publicly. (right) Death of Major General Joseph Warren at the Battle of Bunker’s Hill, June 17, 1775 [1785-86] also by John […]
by Samuel A. Forman I believe that the sitter portrayed in John Singleton Copley’s mysterious Lady in a Blue Dress is Miss Mercy Scollay of Boston at age 22. The striking, full size portrait resides at the Terra Foundation Museum in Chicago.[i] In an age of visuals, I decided that an image of Miss Scollay […]
