Copley gained West’s support when he sent, anonymously, a painting done in Boston to London. He corresponded with both West and Reynolds, resisting West’s advice to come to London for eight more years. His father was a Boston tea-merchant, and eventually the famous Tea Party made him decide his future lay in England. Both Peale and Stuart studied for a time with Copley, Stuart painting his portrait. Meeting Copley in Boston persuaded Trumbull that he too should become an artist.