Thomas Sully

1783 - 1872 • American • Painter • Federal

"Mr. Sully is, as we believe and sincerely hope, anchored safely in port for life. He has portraits engaged in succession for years to come at liberal prices. His fellow citizens of Philadelphia justly appreciate him as an artist and a man." - William Dunlap, 1834

Sully was an eminent Philadelphia portrait painter for more than 50 years, as Dunlap, quoted above, wrote in his three-volume history of art in America. In the beginning he followed in STUART'S footsteps, but later, after a trip to England and studies under WEST, he acquired a style of his own. He brought idealism and the GRAND MANNER to his pictures, much in the style of Sir Thomas LAWRENCE. on a visit to Scotland in 1817, Sully spent time with Sir Walter Scott and described to him a beautiful young Jew, Rebecca Gratz, to whom he had been introduced in 1 807 and whose portrait he would paint three times during the 1830s. There is much evidence that from Sully's description she provided the model for a character, also called Rebecca, in Scott's popular novel Ivanhoe (1820).