Portrait of a Lady from S. Carolina Huguenot Family

Lawrence Sully, born Kilkenny, Ireland 1769-died Richmond, VA 1804 · ca. 1795

Of the two Sully brothers, Lawrence was known to be the lesser artist. His portrait figures show stiff upper bodies, little modeling, and pale skin rendered in light colors. The Huguenots had fled religious and political persecution in France and settled in the United States, where their knowledge of science and industry and their skills as artisans and craftsmen were highly prized.