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Primary sourcePaintingcirca 1772

Portrait of Samuel Adams

John Singleton Copley · circa 1772

An oil portrait of Samuel Adams painted by John Singleton Copley around 1772, showing him pointing to papers on a table.

This life-time portrait shows how Adams presented himself as a political leader, pointing to official documents.

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Oil painting of a man with white hair wearing a red coat over a red waistcoat with a white cravat. He stands beside a table holding a rolled document in one hand and pointing with the other at papers spread on the table. Dark brown background.
John Singleton Copley, Portrait of Samuel Adams, c. 1772.

About this source

What it is

This oil portrait of Samuel Adams was painted by John Singleton Copley around 1772. It shows Adams standing beside a table, holding a rolled document and pointing to papers spread before him, dressed in a red coat and waistcoat.

Why it matters

Copley was a leading painter in colonial America, and this portrait was made during Adams's lifetime, making it a direct image of how he presented himself as a political figure. The pose, with Adams pointing at documents, emphasizes his identity as a man of papers and politics rather than, for example, a soldier or merchant.

Look closer

  • Why might Adams have chosen to be shown pointing at documents rather than in another pose?
  • What does the clothing and setting suggest about how Adams wanted to be seen?
  • What is left out of a painted portrait that a photograph or a letter might show instead?

This painting is part of the curated material that grounds the AI version of Samuel Adams on Humy.ai — when students ask about related events, the AI can quote it and cite it.

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