dualism. 1  the state of being dual or consisting of two parts; division into two. 2  Philosophy. the view that there are just two mutually irreducible substances. 3  Theology. the doctrine that there are two independent divine beings or eternal principles, one good and the other evil. the belief that a human being embodies two parts, as body and soul.
Thomas Sully was an early American painter, born in Lincolnshire, England. He immigrated to the United States with his parents at the age of nine, and as a young man initially worked for an insurance broker in Philadelphia. However, Sully was passionate about art and when he was 16, Sully joined his brother, a miniaturist, in Virginia.
While in New York, Sully made a brief trip to Boston. While in Boston he consulted with fellow painter Gilbert Stuart. In 1809, Sully moved back to Philadelphia and that same year he was finally able to make his trip to London. While in London, he studied under Benjamin West, like so many other American artists. He worked alongside West for a year, copying the works of the Old Masters and in 1810 he returned to the United States, permanently settling in Philadelphia.