The portrait – is one of the oldest genres of American art. It is still highly valued by collectors and antique dealers who buy paintings. 

The symbolic American portrait appeared as a result of the development of another genre of painting - a social portrait, the main task of which, on the one hand, was to maintain the status of a person in society. Such a portrait had a specific purpose - to perpetuate the image of a person who has earned honor and respect for his useful activity (doctors, military, judges, merchants, historical figures) or virtuous life (clergymen, preachers, mothers of families with children), which was important both for the family and descendants, and in the eyes of society as a whole, and therefore the portraits still had a certain “usefulness” in the eyes of the customers, justifying their order, payment and appearance in the house. So first such type of portraits formed the tastes of the locals, who buy paintings and requests of the early antique art dealers.

This concept was followed by early artists, for instance the first national portrait painter John Singleton Copley (1738-1815), who enriched his artworks with accessories and objects that form an environment of the portrayed (the portrait of P. Revere, a famous Boston jeweler; the portrait of J. Winthrop, a Harvard professor of mathematics and astronomer; the portrait of E. Goldthwaite a respected mother of the family). Copley antique painting prices are varied but generally rated very high.

John Singleton Copley. Thomas Gage (1768). Source: Wikipedia

A portrait was supposed to demonstrate the significance of the individual, material wealth and, if possible, the degree of influence. On the other hand, in the early stages of the development of the colonies, when internal national ties were not so strong, and separate family groups came to the fore, the portrait was a way of transmitting the images of ancestors to the next generations.

Creating early portraits-symbols of the American man, the painters, of course, were guided by the European drawing, since they did not know other models. But, at the same time, the person depicted by them had no analogues: novelty and exclusivity were felt in facial expression, clothes, posture. In addition, American portrait painters abandoned the complex of images traditional in Europe - a skull, a clock, a dying candle, musical instruments: he was responsible for the motive of the frailty of life, and for an American, whose mode of action was entirely aimed at a long and lasting future, this topic was not relevant. Instead, the artists introduce their own symbols, which will later appear on dozens of portraits: a red rose, birds, a ship, a window, a bouquet of carnations. So, the rose was often depicted in female portraits and symbolized youth, the short duration of beauty, pride; in male portraits - the need to think about the future (Catherine Broeck, 1719, “Nehemiah Partridge”; Pieter Vanderlyn “Young lady with a rose”, 1732. Their artworks are quite rare and rated high among dealers that buy antiques). 

John Singleton Copley. Anne Fairchild Bowler (Mrs. Metcalf Bowler) c.1763. Source: britannica

Another frequently encountered image is a bird sitting on the arm or chest of the person depicted: “I will keep my promise and honor”, “you need to save your love, but it is difficult to do this.” (Joseph Badger, “James Badger”, 1760; Gerardus Duyckinck, “David and Phila Franks”, 1733).

A bouquet of carnations, in turn, means happiness and prosperity in family life. But at the same time, suffering from love (Pieter Vanderlyn “Young lady with a fan”, 1737).

The portrait played a significant role in the formation of American national identity: it was thanks to the image of a new person, an American, that the inhabitants of the colonies were able to look at themselves from the outside and understand who they are and how they differ from other nations.

Cover image: John Singleton Copley. Portrait of the Copley family (1776). Source: Wikipedia