The painter Thomas Sully (1783-1872) portrayed his own daughters, Blanche and Rosalie, in a painting often titled "The Rose and the Lilly." As a child, Sully lived in Charleston and appeared there with members of his family on the stage of a French theater. While attending a Charleston school, he met and was influenced by Charles Fraser (see Charles Fraser). Although he spent most of his adult life in Philadelphia, Sully returned to the city of his childhood to paint portraits of Charlestonians later in his career. These two young women are a charming example of the styles of the 1820s and 1830s for young Charleston women.
Courtesy of the Collection of the Columbia Museum of Art, Columbia, South Carolina. Thomas Sully, American (born England), 1783-1872. "Blanche and Rosalie (The Lily and the Rose)," 1842, oil on canvas. Gift of Victor B. Lonson, CMA 1952.55.
