John Singleton Copley already had a reputation as Boston’s leading artist when he painted this wedding portrait of Elizabeth Rogers. Copley’s work was distinguished from that of his peers by his ability to skillfully convey his sitters in a highly realistic yet artful manner. Here, Copley suggests Mrs. Rogers’s modesty and gentility through her averted gaze, aristocratic bearing, and fashionable dress. Like most early American artists, Copley trained in another field—in his case, silver engraving—and learned to paint by copying engravings of European pictures. His skills eventually gained him admittance to the esteemed British Royal Academy.