Traditional Portraits Some of Thomas Sullyâs earliest recorded portraits are his now-lost images of members of the Park Theatre in New York in various roles. When Sully had returned in 1810 to Philadelphia from a nine-month trip to England, he announced his artistic ambitions through a series of extraordinary theatrical portraits, arranged by patrons and friends in the close-knit acting community.
Study the portrait of Major Thomas Biddle (1818). Brainstorm a list of ten words that describe the major. Which three words from the list can each student identify as also describing themselves?