History is messy. Usually, when people dig into the archives of 18th-century New England, they’re looking for the big names—the generals, the wealthy merchants, the "Founding Fathers." But if you look closely at the social fabric of the colonial era, specifically within the elite circles of Connecticut and Massachusetts, you find people like Mrs Jeremiah Lee of Hartford CT, whose life offers a much more nuanced look at what it actually meant to be "upper class" before the Revolution.
She wasn't a politician. She didn't lead an army. Yet, her identity—captured forever in a famous portrait by John Singleton Copley—serves as a high-definition window into the wealth, the fashion, and the brutal economic realities of the 1760s.
The Woman Behind the Name
Her name was Martha Swett. Most historical records refer to her by her husband’s name, which was the standard of the time, but Martha was a power in her own right. Born into a prominent family, she married Jeremiah Lee, who was arguably one of the wealthiest men in the American colonies. He was a merchant prince from Marblehead, Massachusetts, but their ties to Hartford and the broader Connecticut river valley were deep, rooted in trade and kinship.
Jeremiah Lee made his fortune in the "Golden Age" of Marblehead shipping. We're talking about a massive fleet of ships trading dried cod, lumber, and molasses across the Atlantic. While Jeremiah was managing the wharves, Martha was managing the image. In an era where your clothes literally signaled your creditworthiness, Martha was a master of the craft.
The Copley Portrait: More Than Just a Pretty Face
If you’ve ever walked through the Wadsworth Atheneum in Hartford or the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, you might have seen her. The portrait painted by John Singleton Copley in 1769 is massive. It’s nearly eight feet tall.
Why does a painting of a woman from Hartford and Marblehead matter so much to art historians?
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Because Copley didn't just paint her; he staged her. Martha is draped in a brown satin gown that looks so real you feel like you could reach out and feel the silk. This wasn't just fashion. It was a flex. In the 1760s, having a Copley portrait was the 18th-century equivalent of owning a private jet and a verified Instagram account combined. It told the world that the Lee family had arrived.
The painting captures her in a moment of extreme prosperity, right before the world fell apart. She’s surrounded by heavy gold-fringed drapery and a landscape that suggests vast land ownership. It’s a vision of stability that was about to be obliterated by the Revolutionary War.
The Hartford Connection and Colonial Wealth
While Marblehead was the base of operations, the connection to Mrs Jeremiah Lee Hartford CT is vital because it highlights how interconnected the colonial elite were. Families in Hartford weren't isolated. They were part of a web of trade that moved goods from the Connecticut River to the ports of Massachusetts and eventually to Europe and the West Indies.
Life in Hartford during Martha’s time was a mix of Puritan roots and skyrocketing consumerism. People were buying tea sets from London and silk from France. Martha represented the peak of this "Anglomania." She was a woman who lived in a house so grand—the Jeremiah Lee Mansion—that it still stands today as one of the finest examples of Georgian architecture in America.
But here’s the thing people often get wrong about this period: it wasn't all tea parties.
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The wealth that allowed Martha to sit for Copley was built on a global trade system that included the labor of enslaved people. Jeremiah Lee’s ships were part of the triangular trade. While the Lees were patriots who eventually risked everything for American independence, their lifestyle was funded by a system that was deeply exploitative. You can't talk about the beauty of the Copley portrait without acknowledging the shipping ledgers that paid for the paint.
What Happened When the War Hit?
The story of the Lee family is actually pretty tragic.
Jeremiah Lee was a staunch patriot. He was a member of the Committee of Safety and was actively involved in the lead-up to the Battles of Lexington and Concord. In April 1775, he had to flee from British troops and hide in a cornfield in the middle of a freezing night. He caught a "fever" (likely pneumonia) and died shortly after.
Suddenly, Martha went from being the wealthiest woman in the colony to a widow struggling to manage a crumbling mercantile empire in the middle of a war.
The British blockaded the ports. The ships stopped moving. The lavish life depicted in her portrait became a memory. Martha had to navigate the transition from a subject of the Crown to a citizen of a struggling new nation, all while dealing with the massive debts her husband left behind due to his wartime activities.
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Why We Still Talk About Her
Honestly, Martha Swett Lee is a reminder that history isn't just about the guys in the wigs signing declarations. It’s about the women who maintained the social structures, the households, and the cultural legacies.
When you look at the records of Mrs Jeremiah Lee Hartford CT, you're looking at the evolution of American identity. Her portrait represents the transition from British colonial status to American independence. It shows the tension between wanting to look like English nobility while fighting for a republic.
Actionable Ways to Trace the History
If you're actually interested in seeing this history for yourself, don't just read about it. The physical remnants of Martha's world are still very much accessible.
- Visit the Wadsworth Atheneum: Located in Hartford, it’s the oldest continually operating public art museum in the United States. They hold incredible records and artifacts from this specific era of Connecticut history.
- Tour the Jeremiah Lee Mansion: It's in Marblehead, MA. You can walk through the rooms Martha lived in. The hand-painted wallpaper is original and was imported from London just for her. It’s one of the few places where you can truly feel the scale of their wealth.
- Study Copley's Techniques: If you're an art student or a history buff, look at the "Lee" portraits side-by-side. Copley painted Jeremiah and Martha as a pair. Notice how he uses light to emphasize the texture of their clothing—it was his way of proving his skill to the London art market he eventually joined.
- Research the Connecticut River Valley Trade: Dig into the archives of the Connecticut Historical Society. Look for the "Connecticut River Gods"—the group of wealthy families Martha was connected to. It changes your perspective on how the "wild" colonies actually functioned.
The story of Martha Lee isn't just a footnote. It’s a snapshot of a woman who sat at the crossroads of American history, captured in silk and oil paint, reminding us that the past was just as complex, vibrant, and uncertain as the present.
Check the museum schedules before you go. The Copley portraits sometimes travel for exhibitions. Seeing them in person is the only way to truly understand the sheer scale of the presence Martha Swett Lee commanded in her lifetime.
Next Steps for the History Enthusiast
To get a deeper look at the social hierarchy of 18th-century Hartford, you should look into the Wyllys and Talcott family papers. These were the neighbors and peers of the Lee family. Their correspondence provides a much "grittier" look at daily life than a formal portrait ever could. You'll find talk of smallpox outbreaks, shipping losses, and the genuine fear that the Revolution would leave them all penniless. It rounds out the picture of the woman in the satin dress perfectly.