Thomas Sully

Thomas Sully (1783–1872) was a British-born American painter renowned for his elegant portraits of early 19th-century figures. Born in Horncastle, Lincolnshire, he immigrated to the United States as a child, settling in Charleston, South Carolina, before establishing his long career in Philadelphia. Largely self-taught, Sully refined his style through study in London under Benjamin West, blending English grace with an American sensibility.

Over his lifetime, Sully painted more than 2,000 works, including portraits of political leaders, actors, and society figures. Among his most famous is the official 1824 portrait of President Andrew Jackson and his iconic George Washington for the U.S. Capitol (painted 1820). His refined brushwork, luminous color, and romantic treatment of character made him one of the foremost portraitists of the American Federal and Romantic periods.