Paul Revere (oil on canvas)

John Singleton Copley, 1768

One of the major "icons" of American colonial painting, this is Copley's only finished portrait of an artisan at work. By 1768, Revere was an established and successful silversmith. According to Revere's own records, he made a total of nine teapots from 1762 to 1773. Teapots were among the most complex objects Revere crafted, and they represented his highest accomplishment as an artisan. Revere's production of teapots declined in response to the Townshend Acts of 1767, which imposed duties tea and other imported goods. Holding a teapot, then, was a provocative way for Revere to present himself, especially given his radical politics.