Viewers of the hit TV series TURN, also known as Washington’s Spies, recognize a seductive femme fatale artist who was a spy for the American cause in London and was ultimately executed in a brutal manner. However, the real Patience Wright was more of an enigma, and perhaps even more controversial than her TV counterpart.
Quaker Girl
Who would have guessed that a vegetarian and Quaker girl from the seaside hamlet of Oyster Bay, New York, would move in circles that included Ben Franklin and the king of England? In 1729, when Patience Lovell was four, her family relocated from Long Island (coincidentally not far from the area of the Culper spy ring) to New Jersey. Patience Lovell grew up in Bordentown, near Philadelphia, the largest city in the colonies and home to the biggest Quaker community.
At sixteen, the lively Patience left her family and the quiet farming town of Bordentown for the bustling streets of Philadelphia, where, in 1748, she married a barrel maker named Joseph Wright. They had four children together before he died in 1769.
Wax Artist
Faced with poverty, the new widow Patience turned her hobby of molding wax figures into a small business with her sister, Rachel Wells, who was also a widow. Their waxworks became very popular— the figures were said to be very lifelike, similar to Madame Tussaud's work in later years. Her craft gained a lot of admiration, and she eventually opened a shop in New York. It is unclear when and where Patience developed her talent for making wax figures, but she was known to have molded them into various shapes and figures to entertain her children. Despite the unknown details, her talent was quickly recognized.
Disaster
In 1771, her New York waxwork was destroyed by a fire, and Wright decided to reestablish herself in London, a much larger stage than provincial New York and Philadelphia. Settling in the city’s West End, she soon featured popular waxworks displays with historical tableaux and celebrities. Before long, her waxwork was favored by London's elite society.
The Promethean Modeler
Wright’s work was in high demand, and soon the upper class would sit for hours as she worked the wax and molded it into busts and figurines. Her personality was eccentric for her time and the social circles she engaged with. She often greeted men and women alike with kisses, clopped along in wooden shoes, and chattered away like a fishmonger. In an age of high decorum, she literally broke the mold.
Her boisterousness earned her the nickname "The Promethean Modeler." Despite this, or perhaps because of it, she became quite a celebrity in 18th-century London. However, not everyone found her antics amusing. Abigail Adams was shocked by her overfamiliarity and lack of modesty, calling her “the queen of sluts” in a letter.
She is said to have softened the wax by rubbing it against the warmth of her body under her apron. Patience often did this suggestively, both amusing and irritating her subjects. But her work was excellent, and more importantly, very popular. She was commissioned to model King George III, and eventually other members of British royalty and nobility. Even the royals were treated to her style of casual banter, and it was reported she called them by their first names while they sat for her.
Patriot Patience
Despite relying on the generosity and support of British society, Patience Wright remained an American and a patriot. She was quite vocal in advocating for the patriots, often upsetting her customers. Patience also took action; American prisoners of war held in Britain endured inhumane conditions. She raised funds to support them. She met with pro-American politicians like the activist Lord George Gordon and Benjamin West, who would visit her workshop to discuss the rebel cause.
Sculptress Spy
But did this make her a spy? Maybe yes, maybe no, but she had active correspondence with prominent Americans and most likely provided them “nuggets” gleaned from her wealthy and high-placed connections during the early years of the American Revolution. She corresponded with Benjamin Franklin and John Jay, both key figures in the diplomatic side of the war. Patience also wrote letters to Pennsylvania politician John Dickinson describing the British Army's preparations in England. Tales abound of her sending sculpted wax figures embedded with secret notes to her sister in Philadelphia. But this is not substantiated.
A Rapid Fall
Wright eventually lost royal favor because of her open support for the colonial cause, especially when she reportedly scolded the king and queen after the battles of Lexington and Concord. Ultimately, opposition to her patriot views forced her to move to Paris. During her two years there, she crafted a wax model of Benjamin Franklin but couldn't establish a waxwork. In 1782, Patience sailed back across the English Channel.
Back in London, Patience moved into her daughter Phoebe's home at St. James’s Square, where Phoebe was married to painter John Hoppner. In 1783, Wright made firm plans to return to America and sculpt wax busts of General George Washington and the other Founders.
As she wrote to founder and diplomat John Jay, “I wish for nothing more than to finish the portraits in wax busts of all you worthy heros that have done honour to themselves and their Company.”
The sculptor-patriot planned to sail by 1786 at the latest. Sadly, she had a severe fall and died from complications on March 23 of that year. Patience was buried in London, but unfortunately, her exact gravesite remains unknown.
America’s First Sculptress
Few of Patience Wright’s works survive today, mainly because of the fragile nature of the wax medium. Wax figures were often seen as “low art” compared to bronze or plaster sculptures. However, a full-length statue of William Pitt, Lord Chatham, is displayed in Westminster Abbey. Some also attribute a profile of Admiral Richard Howe in the Newark Museum to her.
Her subjects included Benjamin Franklin, female soldier Deborah Sampson, and, of course, the King and Queen of England. However, she is also known to have created sculptures of Lord Lyttelton, Thomas Penn, and Charles James Fox. Overall, she is credited with molding about fifty-five major works, but her only confirmed piece is the William Pitt, Lord Chatham figure.
Legacy
Patience Lovell Wright was a remarkable figure in an era of extraordinary individuals. Wife, mother, businesswoman, artist, political activist, and spy. I’m willing to take a risk, but her stubborn and determined personality, combined with her patriotism, makes her well-suited for the daring work of espionage. Who would suspect she was secretly sending reports to Paris and Philadelphia while hiding in plain sight? Her folksy boldness and subtle sexuality likely kept others off guard, helping her carry out more serious covert work unnoticed. Still, her artistic skills were genuine and impressive. And I firmly believe that if she had returned home, her artistic achievements would have reached even greater heights and continue to be celebrated today.
