Thomas Sully

Born to actors, Thomas Sully (1783-1872) was a man who knew a thing or two about performance, a flair he brought to his prolific career as a portraitist. He began his own stage career at age 11 as a tumbler before trading acrobatics for art. This English-born painter became the go-to artist for the American elite, capturing the likenesses of presidents and other prominent figures. He even crossed the pond to paint Queen Victoria, a major achievement for an American artist at the time. With over 2,600 works to his name, he was certainly a busy man. Rumor has it that Sully's portraits were so flattering because he believed a little "improvement" on the sitter's appearance was no fault of the artist. He once cheekily admitted, "resemblance in a portrait is essential; but no fault will be found with the artist, (at least by the sitter,) if he improve the appearance.” So, if you wanted a portrait that was you, but better, Sully was your man.