Artwork
Elizabeth Green (Mrs. Ebenezer Storer II)
Elizabeth Green (Mrs. Ebenezer Storer II) is a pastel drawing by the Romanticist artist John Singleton Copley. It dates from 1767 and is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Created circa 1767, this portrait presents Elizabeth Green Storer seated in an upholstered chair.
About this work
Subject & Meaning
As a genre portrait, the image serves primarily to document the identity and social standing of the woman within the context of eighteenth-century American art.
This 1767 pastel portrait depicts Elizabeth Green Storer, also identified as Mrs. Ebenezer Storer II. Executed by John Singleton Copley, the work functions as a formal likeness of the sitter, capturing her appearance through the medium of pastel on paper mounted to canvas. As a genre portrait, the image serves primarily to document the identity and social standing of the woman within the context of eighteenth-century American art.
The composition focuses exclusively on the subject without additional allegorical elements or complex symbolic attributes described in available records.
Technique & Style
Executed in 1767, this portrait utilizes pastel as its primary medium, applied directly onto paper. The paper support is subsequently mounted onto canvas, a structural choice that combines the delicate texture of chalk with the durability of a stretched fabric backing. The work measures 60.6 cm in height and 44.8 cm in width.
Stylistically, the piece functions as a formal portrait depicting Elizabeth Green Storer. The handling of the pastel medium allows for the soft modeling of the sitter's features, characteristic of John Singleton Copley's approach to capturing likeness and presence in drawn portraits of this period.
History & Provenance
The portrait of Elizabeth Green, wife of Ebenezer Storer II, was painted by John Singleton Copley in 1767. Executed in pastel on paper and mounted on canvas, the work entered The Metropolitan Museum of Art as part of its American Wing collection and remains on view there. Its creation history is documented by the museum’s catalog, which records the piece as a portrait genre work depicting Elizabeth Green Storer.
The painting’s provenance is straightforward, reflecting continuous ownership by the Storer family until its acquisition by the museum. The commission likely arose from the family’s social standing in colonial Boston, aligning with Copley’s practice of portraying prominent patrons. The work’s dimensions, recorded as sixty point six centimeters by forty-four point eight centimeters, correspond to the measurements listed in the museum’s catalog.
The pastel portrait of Elizabeth Green (Mrs. Ebenezer Storer II) by John Singleton Copley is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. The work, created in 1767, carries the accession number 2008.249.1 and is classified within the museum's American Wing. It was executed in pastel on paper mounted on canvas, measuring 60.6 cm in height and 44.8 cm in width. The provided sources do not contain information regarding a specific exhibition history for this artwork.
Context
John Singleton Copley painted Elizabeth Green (Mrs. Ebenezer Storer II) in 1767, a pastel portrait now housed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art. The work exemplifies colonial American portraiture, blending European Rococo elegance with emerging American identity. Its composition and delicate rendering of texture reflect Copley's mastery of pastel, a medium he elevated to rival oil painting in sophistication.
Scholarship emphasizes its significance as a pinnacle of pre-Revolutionary portraiture, capturing the refinement of the New England elite. The painting's stylistic choices influenced later American artists seeking to establish a distinct national visual language, cementing its role in narratives of early American art.
Overview
Created circa 1767, this portrait presents Elizabeth Green Storer seated in an upholstered chair. Rendered in pastel on paper that has been adhered to canvas, the work exemplifies the refined portraiture favored by the colonial elite. The composition follows the conventions of formal 18th‑century American portraiture, emphasizing the sitter’s status through attire and pose.
Artist & collection
Artist
John Singleton Copley (July 3, 1738 – September 9, 1815) was an American-born British painter active in both the Thirteen Colonies and England.
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