Bonus: Exhibit A, spotted on display at the Philadelphia Museum of Art in 2020:
John Bee Holmes [with pet Fox Squirrel], 1766
Oil on canvas, 29 3/4 x 24 5/8 in., in giltwood frame, 38 1/2 × 33 1/2 in.
On loan from The Dietrich American Foundation [66-1991-1]
This three-quarter view of John Bee Holmes (1760-1827) against a curtain backdrop was painted when the sitter was about six years old. He is shown looking at the viewer with a slight smile, his body turned to the right. A pet squirrel on a gold chain is perched on his outstretched left hand; the boy’s right hand is holding the end of the chain and is tucked into pocket of his white trousers. The rest of his outfit is comprised of a dark blue waistcoat with gilt buttons, a white collared shirt with flounced cuffs, and a black tie. The painting is signed and dated “J.S. Copley | pinx [painted by] 1766” in the lower right corner. John Bee Holmes, son of Isaac Holmes and Rebecca Bee, was born in Charleston, South Carolina, where he grew up to become a prominent lawyer. He may have been visiting relatives in Boston when Copley painted his portrait.
[Info via Dietrich American Foundation]
