Nathaniel Hurd

John Singleton Copley (American, born The Thirteen Colonies, 1738–1815)

Hurd was a prominent silversmith and engraver in Boston, and the warm gaze and unforced smile in his portrait by Copley suggest the friendship between the two artists. Hurd's open-collared shirt, as well as the rakishly tilted turban that covers his shaved head in place of a ceremonial powdered wig, create an air of informality that is unusual for a portrait of this time.

Gift of the John Huntington Art and Polytechnic Trust

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