John Hesselius

John Hesselius (1728 – April 9, 1778) was an American portrait painter who worked mostly in Virginia and Maryland. He was the son of the Swedish-born portraitist Gustavus Hesselius. He painted the portraits of many wealthy politicians and planters in Colonial Maryland, making him a successful and wealthy individual; at his death in 1778 he left a substantial estate of land and slaves.