Daniel Crommelin Verplanck

The nine-year-old heir appears at his family’s Hudson Valley home with a trained squirrel. Such pets were associated with patience and diligence in affluent colonial portraits. An everyday detail also represented expectations of the child’s upbringing.

The boy turns towards the viewer in a rose-coloured suit. Costly clothing connects the child’s portrait with his family’s position.

A grey squirrel perches beside his lap. A trained animal could represent the owner’s patience and diligence.

The raised hand holds a fine tether. Interaction with the pet turns the educational association into a visible action.

Pale stockings end in black buckled shoes. The child’s clothing follows the conventions of a prosperous heir’s formal portrait.

A large stone column rises on the right. Architecture adds formality to the domestic setting.

A river landscape and trees open behind the sitter. The setting connects him with the family’s Hudson Valley home.

Copley established a successful portrait practice in colonial Boston, largely through self-training, before moving to England in 1774. This earlier commission preserves the taste and social expectations of his American clients.