Mr. Pugsley was most likely dressed in his finest attire when he commissioned this portrait  around the time of the American Revolution. Only the most well-to-do Pugs would likely have sat for their portraits. Owning such a piece was a status symbol. He might have been visited by an itinerant portrait painter, who traveled from town to town, exchanging his painting skills for room and board. Okay, not really. I painted this, but I was inspired by this true bit of American portraiture history.