Thomas Sully was a portrait, miniature, and figure painter. He was born on June 19, 1783, in Horncastle, Lincolnshire, England, the fourth child of Matthew and Sarah Chester, who were both actors. In 1792, the family emigrated to the United States and settled in Charleston, South Carolina. Sully began his professional life in the office of an insurance broker. Although he and his employer soon realized his aptitude was for artistic endeavors, the time spent in the business world served Sully well as he was astute in his later financial affairs. Next, he was placed under the tutelage of Jean Belzons, his brother-in-law, and in September 1799 he joined an older brother, Lawrence Sully, a miniature and device painter, in Richmond, Virginia. In 1801, he began his independent career in Norfolk, Va. Sully married his sister-in-law in 1805, after the death of his brother, and they moved to New York City. Two years later he moved on to Hartford, Connecticut, and Boston, Massachusetts, but in 1808 settled permanently in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

From 1809 to 1810, Sully was in England receiving art instruction from Benjamin West and Sir Thomas Lawrence. Upon his return and the subsequent deaths of Charles Willson Peale and Gilbert Stuart, he became the leading portrait painter in the United States. He knew most, if not all, the leading artists of the day, both in America and abroad. In 1837, the Society of Sons of St. George commissioned Sully to paint a portrait of Queen Victoria. He traveled to England with his daughter, Blanche, and returned in 1838, having done many portraits. After returning to Philadelphia, Sully averaged 35 to 40 portraits a year for the remainder of his life and made occasional professional visits to Baltimore, Boston, Washington, D.C., Charleston, Providence, and Richmond. Among his subjects were Thomas Jefferson, Lafayette, Charles Carroll of Carrollton, Andrew Jackson, King Charles, Benjamin Rush, and Washington Irving. Sully died in Philadelphia on November 5, 1872. Of his nine children, six survived infancy and all were either amateur or professional artists, while one of his step-daughters married the portrait painter, John Neagle.

This is an artificial collection made up of Sully manuscripts acquired over a period of time. The highlights of it are the two volumes of “Letters from England” (84×130) and a volume that Sully entitled “Memoirs of the Professional Life of Thomas Sully Dedicated to his Brother Artists, Philadelphia, November 1851” (91×19).

The letters in the two volumes of “Letters from England” were written by Sully and his daughter, Blanche, during a trip to England in 1837 and 1838. The memoirs were begun in 1851. The letters from England discuss the Sullys' social activities in London, while Sully's memoirs are more concerned with technical details of painting. Together, these items offer Sully's comments on the world of art and his fellow artists.

Additional material includes an inventory of Sully's possessions at his death and a codicil to his will, a certificate entitling Sully to a share in the property of the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts (1831), an admission ticket to a Royal Academy event, a letter to Robert P. Smith, dated November 8, 1834, declining a dinner invitation and including a toast for the dinner, two checks from the Bank of the United States, a letter to an engraver about copying a painting, a note about recanvassing and repainting an early Sully portrait (1854), a letter to M. Carey discussing his brother's ability as an artist with mentions of Washington Allston, and a receipt for a frame made by M. Williamson.

A card file that indexes names of people, places, and objects in the Sully letter books has been created; however, there is a separate file for each volume. A summary of the contents of each of the 28 letters is also available.

A summary of contents has also been compiled for Sullys' memoirs. A portion of the memoirs was published as Hints to Young Painters and Processes of Portrait Painting after Sully's death. A copy is in the Rare Book Room (RBR ND1262 S95).

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Copyright restrictions may apply

Acquired from various sources.

OVERVIEW OF THE COLLECTION Repository code: DeWint File name: coll64.xml Abstract: Thomas Sully was a portrait, miniature, and figure painter. The highlights of the collection are copies of his letters written while in England 1837-1838, and his memoirs. Also included are an inventory of his possessions at his death, some correspondence, checks, and other items. Extent: 0.4 linear feet Date range: 1826-1872 Related materials: Language: English Winterthur Museum, Garden, and Library Joseph Downs Collection of Manuscripts and Printed Ephemera Winterthur, DE 19732 (302) 888-4853 Thomas Sully Papers Col. 164 Creator: Thomas Sully, 1783-1872 Title: Papers Dates: 1826-1872 Call No.: Col. 164 Acc. No.: [varoius - see detailed description] Quantity: 1 box Location: 17 A 4