John Singleton Copley's portrait shows Paul Revere, an artisan. He is a famous silversmith and etcher. In this portrait, it seems the artisan is about to begin engraving the silver teapot he is holding on his hand, but we have interrupted him by looking at him on the portrait. He regardfully stares at us. He is not only an artisan, but a full artist. He is a smart man looking at us attentively. He is trying to guess what is the reason why we are disrupting him as he is a very important citizen in his society. Everybody knows that he is an excellent artisan, his work is widely known and recognized in the society he lives in.
This portrait was done in 1768. The painting technique used is oil on canvas. Its dimensions are 35 inches high and 28.5 inches wide. At present, it is at Carolyn A. and Peter S. Lynch Gallery (Revolutionary Boston, gallery 132.)
John Singleton Copley emigrated to London when Paul Revere made his legendary midnight ride to alert the Good citizens that the British were coming. He painted this portrait of Paul Revere some years earlier, when Revere was known as a silversmith with a flourishing Boston trade, but not as an American hero yet. Although Revere was active by then, even in revolutionary politics, Copley prudently kept the portrait free from any hint of controversy. We can see that the portrait captures the qualities that allowed Revere to play an instrumental role in colony times: physical strength, moral certainty, intelligence, and explicit dedication to a cause.
