Anna Dummer Powell

1764

John Singleton Copley

(American, 1738–1815)

View all records in artwork set

Culture

America

Medium

oil on canvas

Measurements

Framed: 143.5 x 119 x 7 cm (56 1/2 x 46 7/8 x 2 3/4 in.); Unframed: 126.6 x 100.6 cm (49 13/16 x 39 5/8 in.)

Credit Line

Gift of Ellery Sedgwick Jr., in memory of Mabel Cabot Sedgwick 1980.202

You can copy, modify, and distribute this work, all without asking permission. Learn more about CMA's Open Access Initiative.

Location

204 Colonial American

Did You Know?

The museum also owns Copley’s original bill of sale for this painting and its frame.

Description

Less than two months before the 80-year-old Powell passed away, one of her sons commissioned this portrait in order to commemorate her life and create an heirloom for future generations. According to the sitter’s granddaughter, Powell was “a little woman of sober conviction and strong Presbyterian faith.” The painting passed through a line of female descendants until shortly before it was given to the museum.