Sully, Thomas

Sully, Thomas

(1783–1872) painter; born in Horncastle, Lincolnshire, England. He and his family emigrated to Charleston, South Carolina (1792); he received art instruction from family members and began his portrait painting career (1801) in Richmond and Norfolk, Va. He worked with Gilbert Stuart in Boston (1807), moved to Philadelphia (1808), and studied with Benjamin West in London (1809), where he was influenced by Sir Thomas Lawrence. Returning to Philadelphia (1810), he painted technically polished and elegant portraits, such as Fanny Kemble as Beatrice (1833), and was often compared to Gilbert Stuart.

The Cambridge Dictionary of American Biography, by John S. Bowman. Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1995. Reproduced with permission.