Governor Morris Mifflin Analysis

The image one choses to show the world indicates individuals’ beliefs and characteristics. I am choosing John Singleton Copley’s painting of Governor Thomas Mifflin and, his wife, Sara Morris Mifflin. There are many reasons that this picture caught my eye but most importantly is the focus is on Sara Morris Mifflin. This is significant, because at that time women where often viewed as an extinction of their husbands. This image shatters that notion because she stares out at the viewer with a cool confidence that commands respect. Even with Sara Morris Mifflin’s authoritative airs Copley is still able to convey the Mifflin’s loving relationship by the way Thomas Mifflin looks lovingly at his wife as well as the position of the couple’s hands hovering together (Rebora, 319). …show more content…
Copley is known as one of the earliest if not first example of an American home-grown artist (Rebora, 3). He is a foundation piece for what American art will be known for (Rebora, 6). Copley’s style is based on putting every detail he sees into a picture (Zawadzki, 29 Sept. 2017). This style of painting what one sees was the preferred style in the northern colonies (Zawadzki, 29 Sept. 2017).
The Mifflin’s where both influential characters in both the American revolution and early Pennsylvania (Portrait of Mr. and Mrs. Thomas Mifflin (Sarah Morris)). Thomas Mifflin’s was brought up in a family of wealthy merchants, in Philadelphia, but became a “General in the Continental Army and was elected the first governor of Pennsylvania” (Portrait of Mr. and Mrs. Thomas Mifflin (Sarah Morris)). Equally influential was his wife Sara Morris who wrote, under a pseudonym, advocating for women and the American Revolution (Zawadzki). Copley is an aspect that defines American