Artwork
Daniel Hubbard
Daniel Hubbard is an oil painting by the Rococo painting artist John Singleton Copley. It dates from 1764 and is held in the collection of the Art Institute of Chicago.
About this work
He sits on a wooden chair with a blue cushion, set against a dark background with a green curtain and a wooden column.
This portrait shows a man with white hair, dressed in a dark brown coat with gold buttons and a white shirt. He sits on a wooden chair with a blue cushion, set against a dark background with a green curtain and a wooden column.
The man's attire and the chair suggest a formal setting, possibly from the 18th century. His expression is calm, and his posture conveys a sense of confidence.
To learn more about the artist's style and technique, explore the works of John Singleton Copley.
Overview
John Singleton Copley’s portrait of Daniel Hubbard, executed in oil in 1764, is a representative work of the Rococo period. The canvas is held by the Art Institute of Chicago, where it is displayed among other 18th‑century American portraits.
Subject & Meaning
The sitter, an older gentleman with white hair, is shown seated in a dark brown coat trimmed with gold buttons, his white shirt contrasting sharply. His composed expression and upright posture suggest a dignified confidence typical of colonial elite portraiture.
Technique & Style
Copley employs a refined oil technique, rendering the textures of fabric and wood with subtle chiaroscuro. The background, a muted dark space punctuated by a green curtain and a wooden column, frames the figure without distracting from the sitter’s likeness.
History & Provenance
Born in Boston in 1738 to Anglo‑Irish parents, Copley built his reputation painting the colonial aristocracy before moving to London in 1774. The Daniel Hubbard portrait entered the Art Institute of Chicago’s collection through a 20th‑century acquisition, remaining there to the present day.
Context
Portraits of this type were common among New England’s mercantile and professional classes in the mid‑1700s, serving both as status symbols and as visual records of familial lineage. Copley’s work reflects the transatlantic taste for Rococo elegance while retaining a distinctly American sensibility.
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Artist & collection
Artist
John Singleton Copley (July 3, 1738 – September 9, 1815) was an American-born British painter active in both the Thirteen Colonies and England.
