Thomas Sully. Thomas Sully was an American portrait painter.
Born in Great Britain, he lived most of his life in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He painted in the style of Thomas Lawrence.
His subjects included national political leaders such as United States presidents: Thomas Jefferson, John Quincy Adams, and Andrew Jackson, Revolutionary War hero General Marquis de Lafayette, and many leading musicians and composers. In addition to portraits of wealthy patrons, he painted landscapes and historical pieces such as the 1819 The Passage of the Delaware.
His work was adapted for use on United States coinage. Sully was born in Horncastle, Lincolnshire, England in 1783 to actors Matthew Sully and Sarah Chester.
In March 1792, the Sullys and their nine children emigrated to Charleston, South Carolina, where Thomas's uncle Thomas Wade West managed a theater. Sully made his first appearance in the theater as a tumbler at the age of 11 in Charleston. After a brief apprenticeship to an insurance broker, who recognized his artistic talent, at about age 12 Sully began painting. He studied with his brother-in-law Jean Belzons, a French miniaturist, until they had a falling-out in 1799. He returned to Richmond to learn miniature and device painting from his elder brother Lawrence Sully. After Lawrence's death, Thomas Sully married his brother's widow, Sarah Sully. He took on the rearing of Lawrence's childre
Born in Great Britain, he lived most of his life in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He painted in the style of Thomas Lawrence.
His subjects included national political leaders such as United States presidents: Thomas Jefferson, John Quincy Adams, and Andrew Jackson, Revolutionary War hero General Marquis de Lafayette, and many leading musicians and composers. In addition to portraits of wealthy patrons, he painted landscapes and historical pieces such as the 1819 The Passage of the Delaware.
His work was adapted for use on United States coinage. Sully was born in Horncastle, Lincolnshire, England in 1783 to actors Matthew Sully and Sarah Chester.
In March 1792, the Sullys and their nine children emigrated to Charleston, South Carolina, where Thomas's uncle Thomas Wade West managed a theater. Sully made his first appearance in the theater as a tumbler at the age of 11 in Charleston. After a brief apprenticeship to an insurance broker, who recognized his artistic talent, at about age 12 Sully began painting. He studied with his brother-in-law Jean Belzons, a French miniaturist, until they had a falling-out in 1799. He returned to Richmond to learn miniature and device painting from his elder brother Lawrence Sully. After Lawrence's death, Thomas Sully married his brother's widow, Sarah Sully. He took on the rearing of Lawrence's childre
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