Thomas Sully was an American portrait painter in the United States. Born in Great Britain, he lived most of his life in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He painted in the style of Thomas Lawrence. His subjects included national political leaders such as United States presidents: Thomas Jefferson, John Quincy Adams, and Andrew Jackson, Revolutionary War hero General Marquis de Lafayette, and many leading musicians and composers. In addition to portraits of wealthy patrons, he painted landscapes and historical pieces such as the 1819 The Passage of the Delaware. His work was adapted for use on United States coinage.
Sully in 1869
The Passage of the Delaware, 1819, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
Plaque on the former home of Thomas Sully in Society Hill
Mrs. Robert Gilmor, Jr. (Sarah Reeve Ladson), 1823, Oil on canvas
The Passage of the Delaware
The Passage of the Delaware is a large, Neoclassical 1819 oil-on-canvas painting by Thomas Sully. With attention to historical accuracy, the painting depicts George Washington on horseback observing the troops of the American Revolutionary Army in the process of crossing the Delaware River prior to the surprise attack on Hessian troops on the night of December 25 and 26, 1776, at the Battle of Trenton. The image is intended to capture the moment prior to George Washington dismounting his horse and joining his army in crossing the Delaware River.
The Passage of the Delaware
A photographic portrait of Thomas Sully.
The Gilbert Stuart portrait of George Washington reproduced by Thomas Sully for the North Carolina State Assembly.
The 1795 marble bust of George Washington by Giuseppe Ceracchi that heavily influenced Sully's depiction in The Passage of the Delaware.