Boston-born John Singleton Copley was colonial America's leading artist and first great portrait painter. His style of directness, intimacy, austerity, and subdued coloring strengthened the emphasis on human character. Benjamin Pickman, a wealthy merchant of Salem, Massachusetts, graduated from Harvard College in 1759 and later became lieutenant colonel of the First Essex County Regiment. A staunch British loyalist, he sailed for England in 1775, but returned to Salem ten years later. Known for his suavity and manners, he was even referred to as "the agreeable Mr. Pickman" by the American patriot John Adams. Copley's elegant portrait of Pickman conveys the young man's wealth, style, and confidence. Several years later, Pickman commissioned Copley to paint a companion portrait of his wife, Mary Toppan Pickman (1966.79.3).
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