The American School

Artists gather in Benjamin West’s London studio. West stands on the left; Pratt probably sits at the easel. Younger artists draw nearby. The group records academic training and professional support among Americans working abroad.

West stands in green with an extended arm. His position connects different working places within the studio.

A seated man studies a large drawing board. Training appears as careful examination of an image.

Two younger figures bend over drawings. Several stages of training take place simultaneously in one room.

The dark-clad painter holds brushes and a palette. Pratt probably includes his own activity within the collective image.

A large canvas presents its back to us. The viewer sees the working process from within the studio.

A sculpted head stands on the rear table. A three-dimensional model belongs to academic study of form.

Pratt reached London in summer 1764 after working as a Philadelphia portraitist. He exhibited this painting with Britain’s Society of Artists in 1766, making the studio group his own public statement.