1771, John Singleton Coley, Mrs. Thomas Gage -- Timken Museum of Art (San Diego)
From the museum label: Margaret Kemble Gage was the American-born wife of General Thomas Gage, who was in charge of the British military forces in North America. In 1771, when the portrait was painted, the Gages were in the midst of making plans for her to return to the safety of England. As rebellious acts increased and full-scale war seemed imminent, the thirty-seven-year-old wife of one of the most powerful military figures in North America took a break from packing up her home to sit and have a portrait made. She wears a silk caftan over a lace-trimmed chemise with an embroidered belt at her waist. Pearls and a turban-like swath of drapery adorn her hair. She appears poised, yet deep in thought. John Singleton Copley's uncanny ability to portray the crisp folds in her satin robe as well as the intricacy of her fashionable hairstyle confirms his role as Boston's leading portraitist of the late colonial period.
1771, John Singleton Coley, Mrs. Thomas Gage -- Timken Museum of Art (San Diego)
From the museum label: Margaret Kemble Gage was the American-born wife of General Thomas Gage, who was in charge of the British military forces in North America. In 1771, when the portrait was painted, the Gages were in the midst of making plans for her to return to the safety of England. As rebellious acts increased and full-scale war seemed imminent, the thirty-seven-year-old wife of one of the most powerful military figures in North America took a break from packing up her home to sit and have a portrait made. She wears a silk caftan over a lace-trimmed chemise with an embroidered belt at her waist. Pearls and a turban-like swath of drapery adorn her hair. She appears poised, yet deep in thought. John Singleton Copley's uncanny ability to portray the crisp folds in her satin robe as well as the intricacy of her fashionable hairstyle confirms his role as Boston's leading portraitist of the late colonial period.