Mrs John Green (Polly Smith) byJohn Green c 1780

John Green (died September 3, 1802) was a portrait painter who later became a judge. Born in the

Thirteen Colonies The Thirteen Colonies, also known as the Thirteen British Colonies, the Thirteen American Colonies, or later as the United Colonies, were a group of British colonies on the Atlantic coast of North America. Founded in the 17th and 18th cent ...

, he later migrated to

Bermuda ) , anthem = "God Save the King" , song_type = National song , song = "Hail to Bermuda" , image_map = , map_caption = , image_map2 = , mapsize2 = , map_caption2 = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = , es ...

, where he died. Nothing is known of Green's origins; he is first documented in

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania#Municipalities, largest city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the List of United States cities by population, sixth-largest city i ...

in the late 1750s, when he sat for a portrait drawing by

Benjamin West Benjamin West, (October 10, 1738 – March 11, 1820) was a British-American artist who painted famous historical scenes such as '' The Death of Nelson'', ''The Death of General Wolfe'', the '' Treaty of Paris'', and '' Benjamin Franklin Drawin ...

. The source of his early training is unknown, though it is possible that he learned to paint miniatures in Philadelphia, as did West. In September 1774 he traveled to London for further study, and renewed his acquaintance with West at that time. He does not appear to have remained in England long, and was likely back in Bermuda within the year. Green seems to have given up painting when his wife inherited a house from her stepmother; the couple called it Verdmont, as a play of words on his own name. He also turned to civic life; in 1785 he was appointed collector of customs, a position formerly occupied by his father-in-law, and in 1786 he was named a judge on the Court of Vice-Admiralty, serving in that position until his death. In the latter position he was responsible for the disposition of prizes of war seized by

privateer A privateer is a private person or ship that engages in maritime warfare under a commission of war. Since robbery under arms was a common aspect of seaborne trade, until the early 19th century all merchant ships carried arms. A sovereign or deleg ...

s, a frequent occurrence as Great Britain was at the time at war with France; many American shipowners lost vessels through his decisions. Consequently, his tenure in this position was widely reviled in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

, and he was frequently insulted in the mainland press; some of his decisions were overturned in London as well, though he was respected for his fairness by colonial governor George Beckwith. During the last decade of his life he was also a member of the governor's council under William Browne. Green was also a gentleman farmer at Verdmont, producing eighty bales of cotton one year there. At his death, Green left an estate valued at £286, half of which consisted of three slaves, a cow, and a horse. He and his wife left no descendants, but are honored in the parish church of

Smith's Parish Smith's Parish is one of the nine parishes of Bermuda. It is named for English aristocrat Sir Thomas Smith/Smythe (1558–1625). Description It is located in the northeast of the main island, at the southern end of Harrington Sound, the large ...

with a memorial erected by their nephew, Joseph Packwood. Verdmont passed into the hands of another nephew, Samuel Trott. Fewer than a dozen paintings by Green survive, and most that are known are dated to between about 1775 and 1785. Two are

portrait miniatures A portrait miniature is a miniature portrait painting, usually executed in gouache, watercolor, or enamel. Portrait miniatures developed out of the techniques of the miniatures in illuminated manuscripts, and were popular among 16th-century el ...

, including a self-portrait, and most are of members of his family. The portraits passed through the hands of descendants of Samuel Trott before being purchased by Hereward Trott Watlington, who donated them back to the Bermudian government; all are currently kept at Verdmont, which is owned by the

Bermuda National Trust The Bermuda National Trust is a charitable organization which works to preserve and protect the heritage of Bermuda. According to its website, the organization has the following purposes: "The Bermuda National Trust is a charity, establishe ...

and is open to the public. Green is also said to have painted a depiction of ''Venus Instructing Cupid'' while in London, but the whereabouts of this painting have been unknown since the 19th century. The West drawing of Green is currently owned by the

Historical Society of Pennsylvania The Historical Society of Pennsylvania is a long-established research facility, based in Philadelphia. It is a repository for millions of historic items ranging across rare books, scholarly monographs, family chronicles, maps, press reports and v ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Green, John Year of birth unknown 1802 deaths 18th-century American painters 18th-century American male artists Bermudian painters Bermudian judges American planters Artists from Philadelphia Painters from Pennsylvania Portrait miniaturists American emigrants to Bermuda American male painters American slave owners