Benjamin West and His Son Raphael

West was the first American artist to gain notoriety in Europe for his portraits and history paintings, and embraced the commercial potential for having his paintings reproduced in print. After establishing his practice in London, West married Elizabeth Shewell, the daughter of an American merchant, and they had two sons. This print reproduces West’s 1773 painted self-portrait with his son Raphael (Yale Center for British Art, New Haven), pictured here at the age of seven, peeking over his father’s shoulder while the artist draws. Now old enough to be under his father’s tutelage, Raphael is portrayed as his father’s biological and artistic heir. Indeed, Raphael went on to become a successful painter as well. By showing himself working with his son present, West draws upon a centuries-old tradition of portraying the pater familias with his male heirs, implying the importance of family and continuity between generations.