John Singleton Copley
Joseph Hooper
1764-1774
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John Singleton Copley
Joseph Hooper
1764-1774
Physical Qualities
Oil on canvas, Framed: 59 3/4 x 47 3/4 x 4 1/4 in. (151.8 x 121.3 x 10.8 cm)
Sight: 48 1/4 x 38 3/4 in. (122.6 x 98.4 cm)
Credit Line
Gift of Dr. Morton K. Blaustein, Barbara B. Hirschhorn, and Elizabeth B. Roswell, in Memory of Jacob and Hilda K. Blaustein
Object Number
1981.75
John Singleton Copley incorporated references to the natural world into his paintings to emphasize his subjects’ wealth and social status. The sparkling gilt trim on the vest of Joseph Hooper and the gold-embroidered belt of Mary Harris Hooper’s Turkish-inspired dress reflect both the opulence and fashion of the time. These portraits also indicate the importance of plants in colonial trade. Joseph was a manufacturer of cordage, the ropes and rigging crucial to shipping in 18th-century oceanic commerce. Cordage was made from fibers of hemp, a plant native to Asia and introduced by Spanish colonists to the Americas. Mary holds what seems to be a marigold, a flower that originated in Central and South America. Brought to Europe and used in offerings to the Virgin Mary, it became known as “Mary’s gold.”
The Baltimore Museum of Art by gift, 1981; Samuel Hooper, Boston; Frank W. Bayley, Boston; Israel Sack, Boston; Sack Sale, New York, 1929; John Levy Galleries, New York; M. Knoedler and Co., New York; Jacob and Hilda K. Blaustein, Baltimore, 1940; to their children.
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"Important Colonial Furniture & Decorations...Property of Israel Sack, Boston, MA," Sold by His Order. American Art Association, Anderson Galleries, Inc. New York: 1929. no. 378A, reproduction p. 143.
'Antiquarian,' Mar 1930. reproduction p. 56.
Prown, Jules David, "John Singleton Copley." Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 1966. vol. 1, p. 60, 77, 219, fig. 277.
"Antiques," Nov 1982. Reproduction p. 990.
BMA Calendar, Mar/Apr 1982, ill.
Johnston, Sona K., "American Paintings 1750-1900 from the Collection of The Baltimore Museum of Art," 1983, ill.
Carrie Rebora, Paul Staiti et al, "John Singleton Copley in America," New York, Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1995, fig. 209, p. 290; fig. 221, p. 310.
Winterthur Portfolio, "A Journal of American Material Culture," vol. 36, no. 2/3, Summer/Autumn 2001. reproduction, p.115.
Breskin, Isabel "On the Periphery of a Greater World: John Singleton Copley's Turquerie Portraits", The Henry Francis du Pont Winterthur Museum, Inc: 2001, p.115, ill.
Frank W. Bayley, Life and Works of John Singleton Copley, Founded on the Work of Augustus Thorndike Perkins, Boston: The Taylor Press, 1915, pp. 146-147.
Parker, Barbara Neville and Anne Bolling Wheeler, John Singleton Copley: American Portraits in Oil, Pastel, and Miniature with Biographical Sketches. Boston: Museum of Fine Arts, 1938, p. 109-111.
Bayley, Frank W., Life and Works of John Singleton Copely, Founded on the Work of Augustus Thorndike Perkins. Boston: The Taylor Press, 1915. p. 146-147.
Important Colonial Furniture & Decorations...Property of Israel Sack, Boston, Mass. Sold By His Order, American Art Association, Anderson Galleries, Inc., New York, Nov. 7-9, 1929, no. 378A, ill. p. 143.
Antiquarian, Mar. 1930, ill. p. 56.
Bolton, Theodore and Harry Lorin Binesse, "John Singleton Copley...with Checklist of Portraits in Oil," Antiquarian, Dec 1930. p. 116.
Barbara Neville Parker and Anne Bolling Wheeler, John Singleton Copley: American Portraits in Oil, Pastel, and Miniature with Biographical Sketches, Boston: MFA, 1938, pp. 109-110.
Jules David Prown, John Singleton Copley, Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1966, vol. 1, pp. 60, 77, 219, fig. 277.
BMA Calendar, Mar./Apr. 1982, ill.
'Winterthur Portfolio,' A Journal of Material Culture, v. 36, nos. 2/3, Summer/Autumn 2001, Winterthur/The University of Chicago Press, 2001, fig. 17, p. 115.
Parker, Barbara Neville and Anne Bolling Wheeler, John Singleton Copley: American Portraits in Oil, Pastel, and Miniature with Biographical Sketches. Boston: Museum of Fine Arts, 1938, p. 109-111.
Bayley, Frank W., Life and Works of John Singleton Copely, Founded on the Work of Augustus Thorndike Perkins. Boston: The Taylor Press, 1915. p. 146-147.
Important Colonial Furniture & Decorations...Property of Israel Sack, Boston, Mass. Sold By His Order, American Art Association, Anderson Galleries, Inc., New York, Nov. 7-9, 1929, no. 378A, ill. p. 143.
Antiquarian, Mar. 1930, ill. p. 56.
Bolton, Theodore and Harry Lorin Binesse, "John Singleton Copley...with Checklist of Portraits in Oil," Antiquarian, Dec 1930. p. 116.
Barbara Neville Parker and Anne Bolling Wheeler, John Singleton Copley: American Portraits in Oil, Pastel, and Miniature with Biographical Sketches, Boston: MFA, 1938, pp. 109-110.
Jules David Prown, John Singleton Copley, Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1966, vol. 1, pp. 60, 77, 219, fig. 277.
BMA Calendar, Mar./Apr. 1982, ill.
'Winterthur Portfolio,' A Journal of Material Culture, v. 36, nos. 2/3, Summer/Autumn 2001, Winterthur/The University of Chicago Press, 2001, fig. 17, p. 115.
Inscribed: None