Thomas Sully

Thomas Sully (June 19, 1783 – November 5, 1872) was an American portrait painter, who was born in Britain but lived most of his life in Philadelphia. He painted in the style of Thomas Lawrence, and his subjects included Thomas Jefferson, John Quincy Adams and the Marquis de Lafayette, as well as many leading musicians and composers. He also painted landscapes and historical pieces such as Passage of the Delaware, and his work was used on United States coinage.

Life and career

Early life

Sully was born in Horncastle, Lincolnshire, England in 1783, to the actors Matthew Sully and Sarah Chester. In March 1792, the Sullys and their nine children emigrated to Charleston, South Carolina, where Thomas’s uncle managed a theater. Sully made his first appearance in the arts as a tumbler at the age of 11 in Charleston. After a brief apprenticeship to an insurance broker, who recognized his artistic talent, at about age 12 Sully began painting. He studied with his brother-in-law Jean Belzons (active 1794–1812), a French miniaturist, until they had a falling-out in 1799.

Thomas Sully (architect)

Thomas Sully (November 24, 1855—March 14, 1939) was a largely self-trained architect based in New Orleans, Louisiana.

He designed many large residences on Upper St. Charles Avenue, such as the Picard House, the Francis Johnson House (2727 St. Charles Ave.), and public buildings in New Orleans and in other cities as well.

Biography

Sully was born in Mississippi City, Mississippi, to George Washington Sully and the former Harriet Jane Green. He studied architecture in the office of Lahnour and Wheelock in Austin, Texas, and with the firm of H.R. Marshall and J. Morgan Slade in New York City. He opened his New Orleans office in 1881. He married the former Mary Eugenia Rocchi in 1884, and the couple had one daughter.

Among his designs were Memorial Hall of the Louisiana Historical Association, linked to the adjacent Howard Library, the Hennen Building, the original Whitney Building, Milliken Memorial Hospital, and the third St. Charles Hotel building, The Columns Hotel at 3811 St. Charles(one of a few still standing), the Grand Victorian Bed & Breakfast at 2727 St. Charles Ave. (also still in excellent condition today) all in New Orleans; the Vicksburg Hotel in Vicksburg, Mississippi; the Shreveport (Caddo Parish) Charity Hospital (formerly called "Confederate Memorial Medical Center" and currently known as the "LSU Medical Center"), and the Caffery Sugar Mill near Franklin in St. Mary Parish.