Joseph Blackburn

Joseph Blackburn painted the merchant families of colonial New England, and what stands out in his portraits is the fabric. Silk gowns shimmer, lace cuffs are picked out thread by thread and satin folds catch the light, giving his sitters a polished, fashionable look that was new to American painting.

Little is known of his early life. He appears in Bermuda in 1752, then in Newport, Boston and Portsmouth, New Hampshire, where he painted leading families such as the Winthrops, Saltonstalls and Otises. He influenced the young John Singleton Copley, who soon outshone him, and for years many of his portraits were credited to Copley. He left for Britain in 1763 and later worked in the west of England, Wales and Dublin. About 150 portraits survive, including Colonel Theodore Atkinson at the Worcester Art Museum and Elizabeth Browne Rogers at Reynolda House.

Look closely at the lace.