Artist: John Singleton Copley Place/date of birth: Boston, Massachusetts 1738 Place/date of death: London, England 1815 Title: William Vassall and His Son Leonard Date of completion: ca. 1771 Materials: Oil on canvas Dimensions: 49 7/8 x 40 7/8 inches Collection:Gift of Mr. and Mrs. John D. Rockefeller 3rd Accession number: 1979.7.30 Introduction This portrait, also by John Singleton Copley, depicts William Vassall and his son Leonard. William Vassall was a wealthy Bostonian with land holdings in New England and Jamaica. Leonard, born in 1764, was William's fifth son, and the eldest child of William's second wife. Discussion Although he claimed to be politically neutral in the conflict with England, William Vassall's unwillingness to participate in revolutionary activities led many to assume that he was a loyalist to the British cause. Not taking a stand for independence meant siding with the English crown in the eyes of Boston's political leaders. When the British occupied Boston in 1774, the Vassall family tried to flee to their Rhode Island home and were pelted on the way by an angry mob. Looking Closely Compared to the painter of The Mason Children, Copley seems more concerned with showing the personality and presence of his subjects. This interest in the individual reflects the growing influence in America of European Enlightenment philosophy during the late eighteenth century. William and Leonard Vassal are posed casually, almost as if the viewer has interrupted a conversation between father and son; there is a more personal, intimate quality about this scene. The ideas of the Enlightenment also altered the public's perceptions of children, and this change can be seen in the differences between The Mason Children and William Vassal and His Son Leonard. Enlightenment philosophy saw a child as having a distinctly child-like mind -- a mind as a "blank slate" that needed to be filled by instruction. Leonard's clothing reflects the distinction between children and adults. Although what he wears is patterned after the sort of clothing his father wears, several details lend a playful, youthful quality to his clothing: the oversized gold buttons, the contrasting colors of waistcoat and vest, and the lighter colors of the clothing. Moreover, the action shown in the picture -- Leonard going to his father for help with something he is reading (suggested by the boy's gesture) -- portrays the father and son acting out their familial roles. Style Copley painted with a high degree of realism. The various surfaces and textures in the painting are rendered in fine detail: the laces, hair, shiny metal surfaces, and cloth are all convincingly painted. The wig powder that has fallen onto William Vassall's shoulders adds another realistic touch as well as a distinctive detail (and problem) of the era. Artist See entry for Mary Turner Sargent. Further Reading About William Vassall: Biographical Sketches of Those who Attended Harvard College in the Classes 1731- 1735, Vol. 9 (Boston: Massachusetts Historical Society, 1956). Links to American History Curriculum
SLIDE 6
WILLIAM VASSALL AND HIS SON LEONARD
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