Benjamin West

This 1770-1776 Self-portrait by Benjamin West (1738-1820) hangs in the Baltimore Museum of Art in Baltimore, MD.

Before and after the Revolution, ambitious Americans played important roles on the cultural stage abroad. During his many years in England, Benjamin West appealed to the British academic establishment by selecting elevated themes for his paintings. He executed them flawlessly and, as a consequence, was embraced by his British peers. Here, the self-assured artist depicts himself at the height of his fame following the success of his large historical painting “The Death of General Wolfe” (c. 1771, National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa). With his left hand, West steadies a drawing board on which he has sketched figures that in the extreme right of General Wolfe, as if to immortalize his association with the celebrated work. West's ideas and example influenced generations of American painters. -- BMA

West's c 1771 painting  “The Death of General Wolfe” hangs in the The National Gallery of Canada. Wikipedia has this photo of it.