John Singleton Copley

Rebecca Boylston was 45 when she married widower Moses Gill; he was 38. She was a member of a prominent Boston merchant family and had acquired great land and wealth through inheritance. Gill (at right) commemorated their union by commissioning a portrait that emphasizes Rebecca’s urban sophistication. She wears a Turkish-style costume distinguished by gold embroidery, a silk turban laced with pearls, and a rose-colored mantle draped across one arm. A garden urn filled with lilies complements her fanciful attire. Rebecca confidently engages in this presentation of contemporary status and mode, creating an impression that contrasts distinctly with Copley’s portrait of her predecessor.