VISUAL ACTIVITYMercy Otis Warren Sister and wife of prominent Massachusetts revolutionaries, Mercy Otis Warren was well positioned to know about revolutionary politics. Abigail and John Adams were close friends until she broke with them in 1788 over her support for antifederalism. At age thirty-five, in 1763, she sat for Boston artist John Singleton Copley wearing a shimmering blue silk gown ornamented with expensive lace.READING THE IMAGE: How does the artist convey grace and ease as features of feminine beauty? Copley painted two other women in 1763—two from Salem and Mrs. Warren from Barnstable, Massachusetts—each wearing the same blue dress. What might that suggest about Copley’s studio practices, about fashion, or about the purpose of family portraits?CONNECTIONS: What role could upper-class women play in the debate over the Constitution?

Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, Massachusetts, USA/Bequest of Winslow Warren/Bridgeman Images.