1. John Hesselius was an American portrait painter who worked mostly in Virginia and Maryland.
11 Facts About John Hesselius
1. 2.
John Hesselius was the son of the Swedish-born portraitist Gustavus Hesselius.
3.
John Hesselius painted the portraits of many wealthy politicians and planters in Colonial Maryland, making him a successful and wealthy individual; at his death in 1778 he left a substantial estate of land and slaves.
4.
John Hesselius was likely born in Philadelphia, where his father owned a house to satisfy clients.
5.
John Hesselius probably set out from Philadelphia in order to escape competition from the better-known artists in the area, such as his father, James Claypoole, John Hesselius Wollaston and Robert Feke.
6.
John Hesselius eventually painted or copied five generations of the family during the two decades he worked for them.
7.
John Hesselius received a large commission in 1761 to paint portraits of the four children of Benedict Swingate Calvert, illegitimate son of Charles Calvert, 5th Baron Baltimore.
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Gustavus Hesselius 8.
John Hesselius became more involved with his local parish, St Anne's Church in Annapolis.
9.
John Hesselius is shown to have sold numerous properties throughout the Annapolis area.
10.
John Hesselius was influenced by the work of John Wollaston, who gave him a few lessons in portraiture.
11.
John Hesselius is an excellent example of this "borrowing" from other colonial artists.