John Singleton Copley: A Bostonian Master of Portraiture and History Born in 1738 in Boston, Massachusetts, John Singleton Copley’s life was a fascinating blend of colonial ambition, artistic brilliance, and ultimately, transatlantic exile. His early years were shaped by his Anglo-Irish heritage – his father, Richard Copley, arrived from Limerick with a thriving tobacco trade, while his mother, Mary Singleton Copley, hailed from County Clare, Lancashire. This unique lineage instilled in him a sophisticated appreciation for both American practicality and European artistic traditions. From a y…