Portrait of William Henry Capers (1758-1805)

Born in Massachusetts, Ralph Earl trained in England before establishing himself in New York City around 1785. Soon afterward he was sued for nonpayment of a loan and imprisoned for debt in City Hall, the epicenter of local political and judicial life. Yet prison time was beneficial to Earl’s career, resulting in 20 portrait commissions and connections that would later yield even more work.

Hailing from St. Helena, South Carolina, William Capers traveled to Fairfield, Connecticut, in 1784 to attend the Rev. Timothy Dwight’s school. While there, he met Abigail Burr, a student in the female academy adjacent to Dwight’s school for “boys intended for Yale.” They were married in 1789 and shortly relocated to South Carolina. Produced in 1788, William’s portrait likely hung in the couple’s South Carolina home.

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