On Sunday, Nov. 3, at 1 p.m., the Marblehead Arts Association’s King Hooper Mansion will host an illustrated talk exploring the lives of the enigmatic individuals from the decade leading up to America’s Revolutionary War, which ultimately resulted in the creation of a new nation.
The presentation is part of a multi-year series of programs in Marblehead and beyond, commemorating the 250th anniversary of the American Revolution. Attendance is free, but donations to the Arts Association are encouraged.
In the 1760s, nearly 30 Marblehead residents had their portraits painted before the Revolution disrupted the lives of nearly everyone in the town, which at that time was the sixth most populous metropolis in British North America. Only a few portraits from this period have survived, many preserved by the Lee and Hooper families and passed down through generations. Roughly half of these portraits were created by John Singleton Copley, the preeminent portrait artist of pre-Revolutionary America.
Interestingly, while portraits exist of half of King Hooper’s children as adults, no portraits of the offspring of Colonel Lee and his wife, Martha, are known to exist.
Among the Hooper family portraits is a work by Copley acquired relatively recently by the Milwaukee Art Museum. While it has long been thought to portray one of King Hooper’s four daughters, it may actually depict King Hooper’s second and principal wife, Ruth Swett. Ruth, who was the mother of all 11 of the “King’s” children, is relatively unknown today, despite her significant role. Her name was the same as Hooper’s first wife, who died at about age 20 when Robert was 23, before they had any children.
This portrait captures Ruth with a serene and regal expression on the eve of what would become a turbulent and challenging time for Marblehead. She radiates subdued luxury and grace but also evokes mystery—much like Leonardo da Vinci’s Mona Lisa.
Soon after this time, the American colonies would be plunged into war, followed by a lengthy debate over the laws that would govern the new nation. The character of that divide still resonates 250 years later, as does the legacy of the country born from the sacrifices of so many, including nearly all of Marblehead’s 1,000 families.