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Charles Peale
Charles Willson Peale (April 15, 1741 – February 22, 1827) was an American painter, soldier, scientist, inventor, politician and naturalist. He is best remembered for his portrait paintings of leading figures of the American Revolution, and for establishing one of the first museums in the United States. Early life Peale was born in 1741 between modern-day Queenstown and Centreville, Queen Anne's County, Maryland, the son of Charles Peale (1709–1750) and his wife Margaret Triggs (1709–1791). He had a younger brother, James Peale (1749–1831). He was the brother-in-law of Nathaniel Ramsey, a delegate to the Congress of the Confederation. Four years after his father’s death in 1750, Charles became an apprentice to a saddle maker by the name of Nathan Waters when he was thirteen years old. Upon reaching maturity, he opened his own saddle shop and joined the Sons of Liberty in 1764 in opposition to the “court” party of Maryland. However, he was unsuccessful in ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
National Portrait Gallery (United States)
The National Portrait Gallery is a historic art museum between 7th, 9th, F, and G Streets NW in Washington, D.C., in the United States. Founded in 1962 and opened to the public in 1968, it is part of the Smithsonian Institution. Its collections focus on images of famous Americans. The museum is housed in the historic Old Patent Office Building, as is the Smithsonian American Art Museum. History Founding of the museum The first portrait gallery in the United States was Charles Willson Peale's "American Pantheon" (also known as "Peale's Collection of Portraits of American Patriots"), established in 1796. It closed after two years. In 1859, the National Portrait Gallery in London opened, but few Americans took notice.Thompson, Bob. "Who Gets Into the National Portrait Gallery, and Why?" ''Washington Post.'' June 13, 1999. The idea of a federally owned national portrait gallery can be traced back to 1886, when Robert C. Winthrope, president of the Massachusetts Historical Society, ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
