More than any other figure who strode across the revolutionary stage, [Joseph] Warren gave his devotion to the American cause simply because he believed in it. Others believed as passionately, of course; but for Samuel Adams political agitation was a profession which had rescued him from a debtors’ prison; James Otis had deep grievances against the royal government because of their mistreatment of his father; John Hancock was a millionaire merchant who made much of his money from smuggling and owed the British Revenue Service over £100,000 in fines; as a lawyer, John Adams was naturally drawn into the political arena. Warren, as a doctor could have remained aloof, as many of his fellow physicians in Boston did. They were the only class in Massachusetts who were not pressured to join the cause.
John Wollaston ( c. 1710—c. 1775)
Oil on canvas. The Virginia Historical Society, Richmond, VA.
Oil on canvas. Fraunces Tavern Museum, New York, NY.
Oil on canvas; 32 5/8 in. x 26 in. (829 mm x 660 mm). National Portrait Gallery, London, England.
Oil on canvas. The George Washington Foundation, Kenmore Plantation, Fredericksburg, VA.
Oil on canvas. The George Washington Foundation, Kenmore Plantation, Fredericksburg, VA.
Oil on canvas. National Portrait Gallery (Smithsonian), Washington, DC.
Oil on canvas; 30 x 25 in. (76.2 x 63.5 cm). New York Historical Society, New York, NY.
Oil on canvas; 30 x 25 in. (76.2 x 63.5 cm). New York Historical Society, New York, NY.
Oil on canvas; 30 1/8 H x 25 W. Albany Institute of History and Art, Albany, NY.
Oil on canvas; 50 x 40 in. (127.0 x 101.6 cm). Detroit Institute of Arts, Detroit, MI.