John Singleton Copley built a successful portrait practice in colonial Boston, drawing on prints, close observation, and European models. His stepfather Peter Pelham's work as an engraver helped introduce him to artistic materials and models. By the 1760s he was receiving commissions from wealthy merchants and public figures, painting in oil, pastel, and miniature. His portraits used faces, fabrics, and objects to express his sitters' social position.

His American practice developed amid political conflict. He portrayed people on different sides of the imperial dispute, while his own family and commercial connections complicated the decision whether to remain in Boston. In 1774 he left for Europe to study art directly. After traveling in Italy he settled in London, where his family joined him. He never returned to America, but the portraits made before his departure remained a substantial record of colonial society.

In Britain he continued portraiture while pursuing ambitious narrative painting. Watson and the Shark, exhibited in 1778, reconstructed the rescue of Brook Watson from a shark attack in Havana decades earlier. Copley used a dramatic suspended moment, varied expressions, and a prominent Black sailor to organize the scene around danger and collective rescue. The picture was a staged historical composition, not an eyewitness record. Its success demonstrated that a recent private event could command the scale and attention associated with history painting.

He subsequently painted subjects including the death of Major Peirson and the defense of Gibraltar, combining recognizable individuals with carefully arranged action. Royal Academy recognition strengthened his standing, while large works demanded preparation and financial commitment. He painted portraits for British clients. Copley died in London in 1815. His practice moved from depicting colonial patrons to public narratives, using bodies, costume, and setting to construct images of character and status.