James Sharples (1752-1811). Pastel portrait of a Gentleman wearing a white stock and blue coat. Circa.1800. Very slight worm holing upper right to no real detriment. 20 by 25.5 cms.
Sharples was an English portrait painter and pastelist, who moved to the United States in 1794. He first exhibited at the Royal Academy in 1779.
The head of a family of successful portrait artists, including his third wife Ellen. He had four children: George by his first wife; Felix Thomas Sharples from his second marriage (c. 1786- after 1823); James Sharples Jr.(c. 1788–1839) and a daughter Rolinda (1793–1838) with this third wife, Ellen. Felix, James Jr. and Rolinda joined the family enterprise at ages 17, 15, and 13 respectively.
Before marrying Ellen Wallace, James had been active in Bristol, Liverpool and Bath, where he taught drawing. The family left for the United States in 1796, but, according to Ellen's diaries, their ship fell into the hands of the French, and for seven months the family spent time in Brest, near Cherbourg.
Landing in New York, James quickly became popular for his small portraits in pastel and his miniatures. From 1796 to 1801 he worked mainly in Philadelphia and New York, securing portrait commissions. The family travelled throughout New England region as itinerant portrait painters, looking for work and making inexpensive copies from the original portraits they had made of popular and well-known figures, such as George Washington and James Madison.
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