to Europe and settled in England the following year. Copley spent the rest of his life in England and
was elected to the English Royal Academy, whose first president was Reynolds. Copley's paintings changed a great deal during the latter part of his life so that his Colonial realism became more adapted to the style of English portraiture. (Most people think that Copley's best portraits were the early ones done in America.) His Portrait of Paul Revere was painted between 1768 and 1770, before he left Boston. Copley died in 1815.
Show the students a color reproduction of the Copley painting and ask: What kind of a painting is this? (portrait) Does anyone know who the subject of the painting is? (Paul Revere) If no one knows, don't give the answer but ask the following questions: When do you think the subject of this portrait lived? (colonial times, 18th century, long ago) How can you tell? (clothing
more than anything else) Say: You have been studying the American Revolution in your history lessons this month, and that is exactly the time that this portrait was painted. From your studies, would you guess that the subject of this portrait is English or American? (Accept any observations the children may have. Again, the most obvious clue would be the simplicity of the clothing and of the hairstyle.)
Tell the students that the portrait was painted by an American painter named John Singleton Copley, and he painted it sometime between 1768 and 1770. Ask: Was that before, during, or just after the American Revolution? (shortly before) What clues does Copley give us about what the subject does to earn his living? (metal engraving tools, silver teapot) At this point, you may want to give the students another chance to guess the subject of the portrait. If you have access to biographical material about Paul Revere, read some of it to them.
They should know that Paul Revere was born into a family in which the father was an accomplished silversmith and a man who had immigrated to the Colonies to escape religious persecution in France. In order to learn to read and write, young Paul went to school until he was 14 years old, then became an apprentice to his father. Five years later, the elder Paul Revere died, and within two years after that, Paul took over the shop and practice. His younger brother Thomas became apprentice to Paul, who became the breadwinner of the family. Paul Revere learned to work in several metals -- silver, brass, pewter, as well as copper plates for printing. His shop turned out brass bells that were cast the way some sculpture is, the famous silver Liberty Bowl with its beautifully engraved message, and teapots such as the one Copley painted in Revere's portrait.
Next ask the students to look carefully at the portrait and tell you something about the element of texture in Copley's painting. Ask: What textures do you see in the painting? (leather pillow for working on the silver, metal, muslin fabric, leather vest, wooden table or workbench, silky hair and soft, glowing skin) Ask: What did Copley do to make all the wonderful folds of the shirt stand out? (painted the shadows where the light didn't fall)
What about reflections? Where do you see reflections in the portrait? (on the tabletop and in the teapot, where you see rectangles of light reflected and also some of the subject's fingers reflected)
What about the element of color in this portrait? Why do you think the painter chose such a dark color for the background? (The white shirt stands out brilliantly against it, as does Paul Revere's face with the rosy cheek.)
Finally, have them brainstorm with you about their impressions of Paul Revere from the poem they read by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. You might start the discussion by saying: Now that we've heard some information about Paul Revere's life, do you think the hero of Longfellow's poem sounds like the same man or a different one? When they have had a chance to express their ideas, say: I want you to think about the poem and then think about the discussion we've had about this portrait of Paul Revere t