Thomas Sully
Thomas Sully
1783 - 1872
American painter of English birth (see fig.). Sully arrived in America in 1792 with his family, who were theatre and circus performers. He made at least one appearance on stage as an acrobat in 1794 and was then apprenticed with an insurance broker, after which he was placed with his brother-in-law, Jean Belzons (fl 1794–1812), a French miniature painter. After a serious argument with Belzons in September 1799, Sully joined his older brother Lawrence (1769–1804), also a miniature painter, in Richmond, VA. In 1801 he relocated with Lawrence and his family to Norfolk, VA, where he painted his first miniature, a likeness of his brother Chester. In January 1803 Lawrence and his family returned to Richmond while Sully remained in Norfolk for another six months. In July 1803 Sully returned to Richmond and opened his own studio where he painted both ‘in miniature and in oil colours’.
By 1804 Sully was hoping to travel to England to study but postponed his plans due to the sudden death of his brother Lawrence. In the spring of 1806 Thomas married his sister-in-law, Sarah Annis Sully, assuming responsibility for her three children. Together they would have six daughters and three sons. Through the generous patronage of a sitter, the actor and theatre manager, Thomas Abthorpe Cooper, the couple moved to New York late in 1806 and Sully set up a studio in the lobby of Cooper’s Park Theatre. In July 1807 Sully spent three weeks in Boston with GILBERT STUART, who encouraged him and offered constructive criticism. Early in 1808 Sully moved his family to Philadelphia, where he resided for the rest of his life. By the end of the year, he was an established and sought after portrait painter (see fig.).
After becoming an American citizen in 1809, Sully placed his family in the care of the miniature painter Benjamin Trott (1770–1841) and left for England. While in London from July 1809 until March 1810, he shared lodgings with the American artist Charles Bird King and had the benefit of criticism from BENJAMIN WEST, the champion of young American painters. At West’s suggestion, Sully studied anatomy and copied paintings from West’s fine collection. He also drew from the plaster casts of Classical sculpture in the Antique Room of the Royal Academy.
Early in his career, Sully painted some of his finest works. His life-size, full-length portrait of the famous British actor, George Frederick Cooke in the Role of Richard III (1812; Philadelphia, PA Acad. F.A.), greatly enhanced his growing reputation. Other noteworthy large scale works were his portraits of Samuel Coates (1813; Philadelphia, PA Hospital), President of the Pennsylvania Hospital and Colonel Jonathan Williams (1815; Philadelphia, PA, Mus. A.). Sully’s likeness of General Andrew Jackson (1819; Clermont, NY, Taconic State Park) and portrait of Mrs Robert Gilmor (Sarah Reeve Ladson) (1823; Charleston, SC, Gibbes A. Mus.) are outstanding examples of the work of this period. By the time of Gilbert Stuart’s death in 1828, Sully was considered by some American observers to be ‘the Prince of American portrait painters’.
Sully also painted several historical subjects, his largest and most ambitious works being Washington’s Passage of the Delaware (1819; Boston, MA, Mus. F. A.) and his Equestrian Washington (1842; Philadelphia, PA, Union League). Sully’s love of the theatre and literature led to the creation of handsome pictures such as the Dickensian subject Little Nell Asleep in the Old Curiosity Shop (1841; Philadelphia, PA, Free Lib.).
In October 1837 Sully made a second trip to England. On the request of the Society of the Sons of Saint George of Philadelphia, Sully obtained a series of sittings from the new, and as yet uncrowned, Queen Victoria. From the study (see fig.; New York, Met.) he painted a three-quarter length portrait of her for the publishers Hodgson & Graves (1838; London, Wallace) and on returning to Philadelphia a full-length portrait for the Society (on loan; New York, Met.).
In the 1840s Sully’s painting began to show signs of unevenness. He was still capable of producing masterworks, such as his portrait of Eliza Leslie (1844; Philadelphia, PA Acad. F.A.) and his strikingly original Sarah Sully with her Dog, Ponto (1848; San Antonio, TX, Mus. A.), but many of his later portraits, which were often based on photographs, have been deemed lacklustre. From 1855 both Sully’s health and the number of portrait commissions declined, as did his prices. Increasingly he painted subject or FANCY PICTURES.
During his prolific 70-year career Sully was active in the Philadelphia art community, although he occasionally exhibited in other cities. A leader and consistent contributor at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts and the Society of Artists, he was a partner in the commercial gallery of Sully & Earle from 1819 to 1846. Although Sully never sought the spotlight, his works were frequently engraved and he was universally admired and respected for his ‘gentlemanly deportment’ and his dedication to his work and family. [Monroe H. Fabian and Carol Solitis. "Sully, Thomas." Grove Art Online. Oxford Art Online. Oxford University Press, accessed September 11, 2014, http://www.oxfordartonline.com/subscriber/article/grove/art/T082290.]
Person TypeIndividual
Terms
French, 1864 - 1901