John Smybert
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John Smibert (24 March 1688 – 2 April 1751) was a Scottish-born painter who was the first academically trained artist to work in
British America British America collectively refers to various British colonization of the Americas, colonies of Kingdom of Great Britain, Great Britain and its predecessors states in the Americas prior to the conclusion of the American Revolutionary War in 1 ...
.


Career

Smibert was born in
Edinburgh Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. The city is located in southeast Scotland and is bounded to the north by the Firth of Forth and to the south by the Pentland Hills. Edinburgh ...
on 24 March 1688, the second youngest of six children of Alison and John Smibert, a litster, or wool dyer. From 1702 to 1709, he was apprenticed to a house painter and plasterer in Edinburgh. On moving to London in 1709Richard H. Saunders, John Smibert: Colonial America's first portrait painter,
Yale University Press Yale University Press is the university press of Yale University. It was founded in 1908 by George Parmly Day and Clarence Day, grandsons of Benjamin Day, and became a department of Yale University in 1961, but it remains financially and ope ...
, 1995.
he worked as a
coach Coach may refer to: Guidance/instruction * Coach (sport), a director of Athletes' training and activities * Coaching, the practice of guiding an individual through a process ** Acting coach, a teacher who trains performers Transportation * Coac ...
painter and copyist. 1713-1716, he studied under
Godfrey Kneller Sir Godfrey Kneller, 1st Baronet (born Gottfried Kniller; 8 August 1646 – 19 October 1723) was a German-born British painter. The leading Portrait painting, portraitist in England during the late Stuart period, Stuart and early Georgian eras ...
at the
Great Queen Street Academy Great Queen Street is a street in the West End of central London in England. It is a continuation of Long Acre from Drury Lane to Kingsway. It runs from 1 to 44 along the north side, east to west, and 45 to about 80 along the south side, west ...
, then returned to Edinburgh, seeking work as portraitist. Smibert travelled to Italy from 1719 to 1722 to copy old masters, including some in the collection of
Cosimo III de' Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany Cosimo III de' Medici (14 August 1642 – 31 October 1723) was Grand Duke of Tuscany from 1670 until his death in 1723, the sixth and penultimate from the House of Medici. He reigned from 1670 to 1723, and was the elder son of Grand Duke Ferdina ...
, and then settled in London where he worked as a portrait painter from 1722 until 1728. Smibert became a member of the
Rose and Crown Club The Rose and Crown Club was a club for artists, collectors and connoisseurs of art in early 18th-century London, England. History The Rose and Crown Club "for Eminent Artificers of this Nation" was formed by 1704, when the engraver George Vertue ...
and made a sketch for a group portrait of its members, including
George Vertue George Vertue (1684 – 24 July 1756) was an English engraver and antiquary, whose notebooks on British art of the first half of the 18th century are a valuable source for the period. Life Vertue was born in 1684 in St Martin-in-the-Fields ...
,
John Wootton John Wootton (c.1686– 13 November 1764)Deuchar, S. (2003). "Wootton, John". Grove Art Online. was an English painter of sporting subjects, battle scenes and landscapes, and illustrator. Life Born in Snitterfield, Warwickshire (near Stratfo ...
,
Thomas Gibson Thomas Ellis Gibson (born July 3, 1962) is an American actor and director best known for his roles as Aaron Hotchner on ''Criminal Minds'' (2005–16), Greg Montgomery on '' Dharma & Greg'' (1997–2002) and Daniel Nyland on '' Chicago Hope'' ...
,
Bernard Lens III Bernard Lens III (27 May 1682 – 24 December 1740) was an English artist known primarily for his portrait miniatures. Lens was the miniature painter at the courts of kings George I of Great Britain, George I and George II of Great Britain, Geo ...
, and others. Among his London portraits is one of
Bishop Berkeley George Berkeley ( ; 12 March 168514 January 1753), known as Bishop Berkeley (Bishop of Cloyne of the Anglican Church of Ireland), was an Anglo-Irish philosopher, writer, and clergyman who is regarded as the founder of "immaterialism", a philos ...
who, in 1728, enticed Smibert to accompany him to America, with the intention of becoming professor of fine arts in the college which Berkeley was planning to found in
Bermuda Bermuda is a British Overseas Territories, British Overseas Territory in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean. The closest land outside the territory is in the American state of North Carolina, about to the west-northwest. Bermuda is an ...
. The college, however, was never established, and Smibert settled in Boston, where he married in 1730. He lived at the corner of Brattle Street and Queen-Street. He belonged to the
Scots Charitable Society of Boston The Scots Charitable Society (est.1657) of Boston, Massachusetts, The oldest charitable institution in the Western Hemisphere, was established to provide relief for local, "needy Scot people, after proper investigation." It "enjoys the distinction ...
. In 1728, he began painting ''Dean George Berkeley and His Entourage'', also called ''The Bermuda Group'', which became one of the most influential
New England New England is a region consisting of six states in the Northeastern United States: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. It is bordered by the state of New York (state), New York to the west and by the ...
portraits. It was commissioned by John Wainright, a patron of George Berkeley, and depicts the members of the planned expedition to Bermuda. The painting, now in the
Yale University Art Gallery The Yale University Art Gallery (YUAG) is an art museum in New Haven, Connecticut. It houses a major encyclopedic collection of art in several interconnected buildings on the campus of Yale University. Although it embraces all cultures and period ...
, includes Berkeley at the right, Wainwright seated at left, and Smibert standing at the far left.Yale University Art Gallery
Retrieved 12 March 2023.
Smibert painted portraits of
Jonathan Edwards Jonathan Edwards may refer to: Musicians *Jonathan and Darlene Edwards, pseudonym of bandleader Paul Weston and his wife, singer Jo Stafford *Jonathan Edwards (musician) (born 1946), American musician **Jonathan Edwards (album), ''Jonathan Edward ...
and Judge Edmund Quincy (in the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston), Mrs Smibert, Peter Faneuil and Governor John Endecott (in the Massachusetts Historical Society), John Lovell (Memorial Hall,
Harvard University Harvard University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, the History of the Puritans in North America, Puritan clergyma ...
), and probably one of Sir William Pepperrell; and examples of his works are owned by Harvard and Yale Universities, by
Bowdoin College Bowdoin College ( ) is a Private college, private liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Brunswick, Maine. It was chartered in 1794. The main Bowdoin campus is located near Casco Bay and the Androscoggin River. In a ...
, by the Massachusetts Historical Society, and by the New England Historical and Genealogical Society. In 1734, Smibert opened a shop where he sold paint, other artist's supplies, and prints. In his studio above the shop, he displayed casts and copies of
Old Masters In art history, "Old Master" (or "old master")Old Masters De ...
that he had painted in Europe. This collection, which Richard Saunders has termed "America's first art gallery", provided much of the early artistic education for
Charles Willson Peale Charles Willson Peale (April 15, 1741 – February 22, 1827) was an American painter, military officer, scientist, and naturalist. In 1775, inspired by the American Revolution, Peale moved from his native Maryland to Philadelphia, where he set ...
,
Gilbert Stuart Gilbert Stuart ( Stewart; December 3, 1755 – July 9, 1828) was an American painter born in the Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, Rhode Island Colony who is widely considered one of America's foremost portraitists. His best-k ...
, and
John Trumbull John Trumbull (June 6, 1756 – November 10, 1843) was an American painter and military officer best known for his historical paintings of the American Revolutionary War, of which he was a veteran. He has been called the "Painter of the Revolut ...
.''John Smibert'',
Oxford Art Online Oxford Art Online is an Oxford University Press Oxford University Press (OUP) is the publishing house of the University of Oxford. It is the largest university press in the world. Its first book was printed in Oxford in 1478, with the Press ...
Between 1740 and 1742, he served as architect for the original
Faneuil Hall Faneuil Hall ( or ; previously ) is a marketplace and meeting hall near the waterfront and Government Center, Boston, Massachusetts, Government Center, in Boston, Massachusetts, United States. Opened in 1742, it was the site of several speeches ...
, which he designed in the style of an English country market. The hall burned down in 1761 but was restored, and then in 1806 greatly expanded and modified by
Charles Bulfinch Charles Bulfinch (August 8, 1763 – April 15, 1844) was an early American architect, and has been regarded by many as the first American-born professional architect to practice.Baltzell, Edward Digby. ''Puritan Boston & Quaker Philadelphia''. Tra ...
. His son
Nathaniel Nathaniel is an English variant of the biblical Hebrew name A name is a term used for identification by an external observer. They can identify a class or category of things, or a single thing, either uniquely, or within a given context. ...
was also a painter. Smibert lies in Tomb 62 in the Granary Burying Ground in Boston.


Selected works

Image:EdwardNightengale ca1723 byJohnSmibert DallasMuseumArt.jpg, Portrait of Edward Nightengale, ca.1722-1724 File:John Smibert - Benjamin Moreland, High Master of St. Paul's School - Google Art Project.jpg, ''Benjamin Morland'', oil on canvas, 1724.
Yale Center for British Art The Yale Center for British Art at Yale University in central New Haven, Connecticut, houses the largest and most comprehensive collection of British art outside the United Kingdom. The collection of paintings, sculpture, drawings, prints, rare ...
File:1729 ElizabethDavenport byJohnSmibert MFABoston.jpeg, ''Elizabeth Davenport (Mrs. William Dudley)'', 1729,
Museum of Fine Arts, Boston The Museum of Fine Arts (often abbreviated as MFA Boston or MFA) is an art museum in Boston, Massachusetts. It is the list of largest art museums, 20th-largest art museum in the world, measured by public gallery area. It contains 8,161 painting ...
. File:Colonel Charles Otway.jpg, ''Colonel James Otaway'', oil on canvas, 1724.
Royal Sussex Regiment The Royal Sussex Regiment was a line infantry regiment of the British Army that was in existence from 1881 to 1966. The regiment was formed in 1881 as part of the Childers Reforms by the amalgamation of the 35th (Royal Sussex) Regiment of Foo ...
Museum Image:WLA lacma Smibert Scotland portrait of Paul Mascarene.jpg, Portrait of Major General
Paul Mascarene Jean-Paul Mascarene ( 1684 – 22 January 1760) was a British Army officer and colonial administrator who served as commander of the 40th (the 2nd Somersetshire) Regiment of Foot, 40th Regiment of Foot and List of lieutenant governors of Nova S ...
, 1729 (LACMA) File:SamuelSewall.jpg, ''
Samuel Sewall Samuel Sewall (; March 28, 1652 – January 1, 1730) was a judge, businessman, and printer in the Province of Massachusetts Bay, best known for his involvement in the Salem witch trials, for which he later apologized, and his essay ''The Selling ...
'', 1729,
Museum of Fine Arts, Boston The Museum of Fine Arts (often abbreviated as MFA Boston or MFA) is an art museum in Boston, Massachusetts. It is the list of largest art museums, 20th-largest art museum in the world, measured by public gallery area. It contains 8,161 painting ...
. File:Edward Winslow by John Smibert.jpeg, ''
Edward Winslow Edward Winslow (18 October 15958 May 1655) was a English Separatist, Separatist and New England political leader who traveled on the ''Mayflower'' in 1620. He was one of several senior leaders on the ship and also later at Plymouth Colony. Both ...
'', c. 1730-1731,
Yale University Art Gallery The Yale University Art Gallery (YUAG) is an art museum in New Haven, Connecticut. It houses a major encyclopedic collection of art in several interconnected buildings on the campus of Yale University. Although it embraces all cultures and period ...
. File:Francis Brinley MET DT53.jpg, ''
Francis Brinley Colonel Francis Brinley ( – November 27, 1765) was an English-born landowner, philanthropist and militia officer best known for being the subject of a John Smibert portrait which is currently owned by the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Though h ...
'', c. 1729,
Metropolitan Museum of Art The Metropolitan Museum of Art, colloquially referred to as the Met, is an Encyclopedic museum, encyclopedic art museum in New York City. By floor area, it is the List of largest museums, third-largest museum in the world and the List of larg ...
. File:1737 EdmundQuincy byJohnSmibert MFABoston.jpeg, Portrait of Edmund Quincy, in the
Museum of Fine Arts, Boston The Museum of Fine Arts (often abbreviated as MFA Boston or MFA) is an art museum in Boston, Massachusetts. It is the list of largest art museums, 20th-largest art museum in the world, measured by public gallery area. It contains 8,161 painting ...
. File:Thomas Hancock portrait.jpg, 1730 portrait of Thomas Hancock in the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston File:John Smibert - Sir John Rushout, Bt. - Google Art Project.jpg, Sir John Rushout, Bt by John Smibert File:John Cotton by Smibert.jpg, The Rev John Cotton 1690-1757 By Smibert File:Colonel Paul Dudley Sargent. 1745-1827 (1920) (14597859800).jpg, Catherine Winthrop Sargent, married 1744 as the second wife of Col. Epes Sargent (soldier), from a portrait by Smybert which is in the
Museum of Fine Arts, Boston The Museum of Fine Arts (often abbreviated as MFA Boston or MFA) is an art museum in Boston, Massachusetts. It is the list of largest art museums, 20th-largest art museum in the world, measured by public gallery area. It contains 8,161 painting ...
. File:Malachy Salter.jpg,
Malachy Salter Malachy Salter (February 28, 1715 – January 13, 1781) was an American-born merchant and politician who sat in the Nova Scotia House of Assembly from 1759 to 1772. Business career He operated a successful Boston distillery, along with his H ...
,
Province House (Nova Scotia) Province House () in Halifax is where the Nova Scotia legislative assembly, known officially as the Nova Scotia House of Assembly, has met every year since 1819, making it the longest serving legislative building in Canada. The building is Can ...


References


Further reading

;Primary sources * * ;General studies * * ;Additional notes * * * * ;Reference works * * * * * * *


External links

* *
John Singleton Copley in America
'' a full text exhibition catalog from The Metropolitan Museum of Art, which contains material on John Smibert (see index) {{DEFAULTSORT:Smibert, John 1688 births 1751 deaths 18th-century American painters 18th-century American male artists American male painters 18th-century Scottish painters 18th-century Scottish male artists Scottish male painters Painters from Boston People from colonial Boston Scottish emigrants to the Thirteen Colonies Painters from Edinburgh Burials at Granary Burying Ground Scottish portrait painters American portrait painters