Pelham, Peter

Pelham, Peter (pĕl`əm), c.1695–1751, American engraver and painter, b. England; stepfather of John Singleton Copley. After studying and practicing in England, Pelham settled (c.1728) in Boston. He produced engravings of Cotton Mather and Increase Mather based on his own paintings. He also conducted a school.

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Pelham, Peter (c. 1695–1751) engraver; born in London, England. He apprenticed as a mezzotint engraver (1713–26), and emigrated to Boston (1727), where he worked as a schoolmaster and engraver. The stepfather of John Singleton Copley, father of Henry Pelham, and colleague of John Smibert, he is considered the first mezzotint engraver in America, as in his portrait of Cotton Mather (1728).