Charles Wilson Peale - Self-Portrait with Angelica and Portrait of Rachel - Google Art Project

Charles Willson Peale (April 15, 1741 – February 22, 1827) was an American

painter Painting is the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a solid surface (called the "matrix" or "support"). The medium is commonly applied to the base with a brush, but other implements, such as knives, sponges, and ai ...

, soldier, scientist, inventor, politician and naturalist. He is best remembered for his portrait paintings of leading figures of the

American Revolution The American Revolution was an ideological and political revolution that occurred in British America between 1765 and 1791. The Americans in the Thirteen Colonies formed independent states that defeated the British in the American Revolut ...

, and for establishing one of the first

museum A museum ( ; plural museums or, rarely, musea) is a building or institution that cares for and displays a collection of artifacts and other objects of artistic, cultural, historical, or scientific importance. Many public museums make these ...

s in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

Early life

Peale was born in 1741 between modern-day Queenstown and Centreville,

Queen Anne's County, Maryland Queen Anne's County is located on the Eastern Shore of the U.S. state of Maryland. As of the 2020 census, the population was 49,874. Its county seat and most populous municipality is Centreville. The census-designated place of Stevensville i ...

, 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 Nathaniel Ramsey (May 1, 1741– October 23, 1817) was an American lawyer and soldier from Cecil County, Maryland, Cecil County, Maryland. Ramsey fought in the American Revolutionary War, Revolutionary War, and was a member of the Congress of ...

, a delegate to the

Congress of the Confederation The Congress of the Confederation, or the Confederation Congress, formally referred to as the United States in Congress Assembled, was the governing body of the United States of America during the Confederation period, March 1, 1781 – Mar ...

. Four years after his father’s death in 1750, Charles became an apprentice to a

saddle The saddle is a supportive structure for a rider of an animal, fastened to an animal's back by a girth. The most common type is equestrian. However, specialized saddles have been created for oxen, camels and other animals. It is not kno ...

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 saddle making. He then tried fixing clocks and working with metals, but both of these endeavors failed as well. He then took up painting.

Career as a painter

Finding that he had a talent for painting, especially portraiture, Peale studied for a time under

John Hesselius John Hesselius (1728–1778) was an American portrait painter who worked mostly in Virginia and Maryland. He was the son of the Swedish-born portraitist Gustavus Hesselius. He painted the portraits of many wealthy politicians and planters in Col ...

and

John Singleton Copley John Singleton Copley (July 3, 1738 – September 9, 1815) was an Anglo-American painter, active in both colonial America and England. He was probably born in Boston, Massachusetts, to Richard and Mary Singleton Copley, both Anglo-Irish. Afte ...

John Beale Bordley John Beale Bordley, (February 11, 1727 Annapolis, Maryland – January 26, 1804 Philadelphia) was a Maryland planter and judge. Life He was the son of Thomas Bordley, from Yorkshire, England 1694, attorney general for Maryland, and his second w ...

and friends eventually raised enough money for him to travel to England to take instruction from

Benjamin West Benjamin West, (October 10, 1738 – March 11, 1820) was a British-American artist who painted famous historical scenes such as '' The Death of Nelson'', ''The Death of General Wolfe'', the '' Treaty of Paris'', and '' Benjamin Franklin Drawin ...

. Peale studied with West for three years beginning in 1767, afterward returning to America and settling in

Annapolis, Maryland Annapolis ( ) is the capital city of the U.S. state of Maryland and the county seat of, and only incorporated city in, Anne Arundel County. Situated on the Chesapeake Bay at the mouth of the Severn River, south of Baltimore and about east o ...

. There, he taught painting to his younger brother, James Peale, who in time also became a noted artist.

American Revolution

Peale's enthusiasm for the nascent national government brought him to the capital,

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

, in 1776, where he painted portraits of American notables and visitors from overseas. His estate, which is on the campus of

La Salle University La Salle University () is a private, Catholic university in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The university was founded in 1863 by the Institute of the Brothers of the Christian Schools and named for St. Jean-Baptiste de La Salle. History La ...

in Philadelphia, can still be visited. He also raised troops for the

War of Independence This is a list of wars of independence (also called liberation wars). These wars may or may not have been successful in achieving a goal of independence. List See also * Lists of active separatist movements * List of civil wars * List of o ...

and eventually gained the rank of captain in the

Pennsylvania militia The Pennsylvania National Guard is one of the oldest and largest National Guards in the United States Department of Defense. It traces its roots to 1747 when Benjamin Franklin established the Associators in Philadelphia. With more than 18,000 per ...

by 1776, having participated in several battles. While in the field, he continued to paint, doing miniature portraits of various officers in the

Continental Army The Continental Army was the army of the United Colonies (the Thirteen Colonies) in the Revolutionary-era United States. It was formed by the Second Continental Congress after the outbreak of the American Revolutionary War, and was establis ...

. He produced enlarged versions of these in later years. He served in the

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

state assembly in 1779–1780, after which he returned to painting full-time. Peale was quite prolific as an artist. While he did portraits of scores of historic figures (such as

James Varnum James Mitchell Varnum (December 17, 1748 – January 9, 1789) was an American legislator, lawyer, generalHeitman, ''Officers of the Continental Army'', 559. in the Continental Army, and a pioneer to the Ohio Country.Wilkins, ''Memoirs of the R ...

Benjamin Franklin Benjamin Franklin ( April 17, 1790) was an American polymath who was active as a writer, scientist, inventor, statesman, diplomat, printer, publisher, and political philosopher. Encyclopædia Britannica, Wood, 2021 Among the leading inte ...

John Hancock John Hancock ( – October 8, 1793) was an American Founding Father, merchant, statesman, and prominent Patriot of the American Revolution. He served as president of the Second Continental Congress and was the first and third Governor of the ...

Thomas Jefferson Thomas Jefferson (April 13, 1743 – July 4, 1826) was an American statesman, diplomat, lawyer, architect, philosopher, and Founding Fathers of the United States, Founding Father who served as the third president of the United States from 18 ...

, and

Alexander Hamilton Alexander Hamilton (January 11, 1755 or 1757July 12, 1804) was an American military officer, statesman, and Founding Father who served as the first United States secretary of the treasury from 1789 to 1795. Born out of wedlock in Charlest ...

), he is probably best known for his portraits of

George Washington George Washington (February 22, 1732, 1799) was an American military officer, statesman, and Founding Father who served as the first president of the United States from 1789 to 1797. Appointed by the Continental Congress as commander of th ...

. The first time Washington sat for a portrait was with Peale in 1772, and they had six other sittings; using these seven as models, Peale produced altogether close to 60 portraits of Washington. In January 2005, a full-length portrait of ''

Washington at Princeton ''Washington at Princeton'' is a 1779 painting by Charles Willson Peale, showing George Washington after the Battle of Princeton. The original was commissioned by the Supreme Executive Council of Pennsylvania for its council chamber in Independenc ...

'' from 1779 sold for $21.3 million, setting a record for the highest price paid for an American portrait. One of his most celebrated paintings is ''The Staircase Group'' (1795), a double portrait of his sons Raphaelle and Titian, painted in the ''

trompe-l'œil ''Trompe-l'œil'' ( , ; ) is an artistic term for the highly realistic optical illusion of three-dimensional space and objects on a two-dimensional surface. ''Trompe l'oeil'', which is most often associated with painting, tricks the viewer into ...

'' style. It is in the collection of the

Philadelphia Museum of Art The Philadelphia Museum of Art (PMoA) is an art museum originally chartered in 1876 for the Centennial Exposition in Philadelphia. The main museum building was completed in 1928 on Fairmount, a hill located at the northwest end of the Benjamin Fr ...

Peale Museum

Peale had a great interest in natural history, and organized the first U.S. scientific expedition in 1801. These two major interests combined in his founding of what became the Philadelphia Museum, later known as Peale's American Museum. It housed a diverse collection of botanical, biological, and archaeological specimens. In 1786, Peale was elected to the

American Philosophical Society The American Philosophical Society (APS), founded in 1743 in Philadelphia, is a scholarly organization that promotes knowledge in the sciences and humanities through research, professional meetings, publications, library resources, and communit ...

. The museum contained a large variety of birds which Peale himself acquired, and in many instances mounted, having taught himself taxidermy. In 1792, Peale initiated a correspondence with Thomas Hall, of the Finsbury Museum, City Road, Finsbury, London proposing to purchase British stuffed items for his museum. Eventually, an exchange system was established between the two, whereby Peale sent American birds to Hall in exchange for an equal number of British birds. This arrangement continued until the end of the century. The Peale Museum was the first to display a

mastodon A mastodon ( 'breast' + 'tooth') is any proboscidean belonging to the extinct genus ''Mammut'' (family Mammutidae). Mastodons inhabited North and Central America during the late Miocene or late Pliocene up to their extinction at the end of th ...

skeleton (which in Peale's time were referred to as

mammoth A mammoth is any species of the extinct elephantid genus ''Mammuthus'', one of the many genera that make up the order of trunked mammals called proboscideans. The various species of mammoth were commonly equipped with long, curved tusks and, ...

bones; these common names were amended by

Georges Cuvier Jean Léopold Nicolas Frédéric, Baron Cuvier (; 23 August 1769 – 13 May 1832), known as Georges Cuvier, was a French natural history, naturalist and zoology, zoologist, sometimes referred to as the "founding father of paleontology". Cuvier ...

in 1800, and his proposed usage is that employed today) that Peale found in

New York State New York, officially the State of New York, is a state in the Northeastern United States. It is often called New York State to distinguish it from its largest city, New York City. With a total area of , New York is the 27th-largest U.S. stat ...

. Peale worked with his son to mount the skeleton for display. The display of the "mammoth" bones entered Peale into a long-standing debate between

and

Comte de Buffon Georges-Louis Leclerc, Comte de Buffon (; 7 September 1707 – 16 April 1788) was a French naturalist, mathematician, cosmologist, and encyclopédiste. His works influenced the next two generations of naturalists, including two prominent F ...

. Buffon argued that Europe was superior to the Americas biologically, which was illustrated through the size of animals found there. Jefferson referenced the existence of these "mammoths" (which he believed still roamed northern regions of the continent) as evidence for a greater biodiversity in America. Peale's display of these bones drew attention from Europe, as did his method of re-assembling large skeletal specimens in three dimensions. The museum was among the first to adopt

Linnaean taxonomy Linnaean taxonomy can mean either of two related concepts: # The particular form of biological classification (taxonomy) set up by Carl Linnaeus, as set forth in his ''Systema Naturae'' (1735) and subsequent works. In the taxonomy of Linnaeus t ...

. This system drew a stark contrast between Peale's museum and his competitors who presented their artifacts as mysterious oddities of the natural world. The museum underwent several moves during its existence. At various times it was located in several prominent buildings including

Independence Hall Independence Hall is a historic civic building in Philadelphia, where both the United States Declaration of Independence and the United States Constitution were debated and adopted by America's Founding Fathers of the United States, Founding Fa ...

and the original home of the

. The museum would eventually fail, in large part because Peale was unsuccessful at obtaining government funding. After his death, the museum was sold to, and split up by, showmen

P. T. Barnum Phineas Taylor Barnum (; July 5, 1810 – April 7, 1891) was an American showman, businessman, and politician, remembered for promoting celebrated hoaxes and founding the Barnum & Bailey Circus (1871–2017) with James Anthony Bailey. He was ...

and

Moses Kimball Moses Kimball (October 24, 1809 – February 21, 1895) was a US politician and showman. Kimball was a close associate of P. T. Barnum, and public-spirited citizen of Boston, Massachusetts. Biography Kimball was descended from Richard and Urs ...

Personal life

In 1762, Peale married Rachel Brewer (1744–1790), who bore him ten children, most of them named for Peale's favorite artists, male and female. Among their sons and daughters, some of whom he taught to paint, were: *

Raphaelle Peale Raphaelle Peale (sometimes spelled Raphael Peale) (February 17, 1774 – March 4, 1825) is considered the first professional American painter of still-life. Biography Peale was born in Annapolis, Maryland, the fifth child, though eldest survivin ...

(1774–1825), who some consider to be the first professional American painter of still-life. * Angelica Kauffman Peale (1775–1853), who was named for

Angelica Kauffmann Maria Anna Angelika Kauffmann ( ; 30 October 1741 – 5 November 1807), usually known in English as Angelica Kauffman, was a Swiss Neoclassical painter who had a successful career in London and Rome. Remembered primarily as a history painter, K ...

(Peale's favorite female painter) and who married Alexander Robinson. *

Rembrandt Peale Rembrandt Peale (February 22, 1778 – October 3, 1860) was an American artist and museum keeper. A prolific portrait painter, he was especially acclaimed for his likenesses of presidents George Washington and Thomas Jefferson. Peale's style w ...

(1778–1860), portrait painter, inventor, businessman, museum owner/operator in

Baltimore Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, and List of United States cities by popula ...

. He founded the "Gas Light Company of Baltimore" in 1817, now Baltimore Gas and Electric Company (BGE). He was the father of artist

Rosalba Carriera Peale Rosalba Carriera Peale (1799 – November 15, 1874) was an American portraitist, landscape painter, and lithographer. She was the eldest daughter of artist Rembrandt Peale and granddaughter of Charles Willson Peale. Early life Rosa was born in ...

. *

Titian Ramsay Peale I Titian Ramsay Peale (1780– September 18, 1798) was an American ornithologist, entomologist, and artist who helped his father, the polymath Charles Willson Peale, assemble the first scientific collection of zoological specimens in the western ...

(1780–1798), ornithologist. He died at age of 18. *

Rubens Peale Rubens Peale (May 4, 1784 – July 17, 1865) was an American museum administrator and artist. Born in Philadelphia, he was the son of artist-naturalist Charles Willson Peale. Due to his weak eyesight, he did not practice painting seriously until ...

(1784–1865), museum administrator and artist. * Sophonisba Angusciola Peale (1786–1859), ornithologist. She married Coleman Sellers (1781–1834) in 1805. She was the mother of

Coleman Sellers II Coleman Sellers II (January 28, 1827 – December 28, 1907) was a prominent American engineer, chief engineer of William Sellers & Co., professor of mechanics at the Franklin Institute, professor of engineering practice at Stevens Institute of Tec ...

. After Rachel's death in 1790, Peale married Elizabeth de Peyster (1765–1804), a descendant of

Johannes de Peyster Johannes de Peyster or Johannes de Peyster II (September 21, 1666 – September 25, 1711) was the 23rd Mayor of New York City between 1698 and 1699.Wilson, James Grant (ed.The memorial history of the City of New-York, Vol. II p. 54 (1892)Allaben, ...

, the next year. With his second wife, he had six additional children, including: * Charles Linnaeus Peale (1794–1832), who was named for Charles Linnaeus, the Swedish botanist and zoologist. *

Franklin Peale Benjamin Franklin Peale (born Aldrovand Peale; October 15, 1795 – May 5, 1870) was an employee and officer of the Philadelphia Mint from 1833 to 1854. Although Peale introduced many innovations to the United States Mint, Mint of the United ...

(1795–1870), who became the Chief Coiner at the

Philadelphia Mint The Philadelphia Mint in Philadelphia was created from the need to establish a national identity and the needs of commerce in the United States. This led the Founding Fathers of the United States to make an establishment of a continental national ...

. * Titian Ramsay Peale II (1799–1885), explorer, ornithologist, scientific illustrator, and photographer. * Elizabeth De Peyster Peale (1802–1857), who married William Augustus Patterson (1792–1833) in 1820. Hannah Moore, a

Quaker Quakers are people who belong to a historically Protestant Christian set of Christian denomination, denominations known formally as the Religious Society of Friends. Members of these movements ("theFriends") are generally united by a belie ...

from Philadelphia, married Peale in 1805, becoming his third wife. She helped to raise the younger children from his previous two marriages. Peale's slave, Moses Williams, was also trained in the arts while growing up in the Peale household and later became a professional

silhouette A silhouette ( , ) is the image of a person, animal, object or scene represented as a solid shape of a single colour, usually black, with its edges matching the outline of the subject. The interior of a silhouette is featureless, and the silhou ...

artist.

In 1810, Peale purchased a farm in

Germantown Germantown or German Town may refer to: Places Australia * Germantown, Queensland, a locality in the Cassowary Coast Region United States * Germantown, California, the former name of Artois, a census-designated place in Glenn County * Ge ...

, where he intended to retire. He named this estate " Belfield" and cultivated extensive gardens there. After Hannah's death in 1821, Peale lived with his son Rubens and sold Belfield in 1826. Peale died on February 22, 1827, and was buried at the Saint Peter's Episcopal Church in Philadelphia alongside his wife Elizabeth DePeyster.

Expertise

Renaissance man A polymath ( el, πολυμαθής, , "having learned much"; la, homo universalis, "universal human") is an individual whose knowledge spans a substantial number of subjects, known to draw on complex bodies of knowledge to solve specific pro ...

, Peale had expertise not only in painting but also in many diverse fields, including

carpentry Carpentry is a skilled trade and a craft in which the primary work performed is the cutting, shaping and installation of building materials during the construction of buildings, ships, timber bridges, concrete formwork, etc. Carpenters tr ...

dentistry Dentistry, also known as dental medicine and oral medicine, is the branch of medicine focused on the teeth, gums, and mouth. It consists of the study, diagnosis, prevention, management, and treatment of diseases, disorders, and conditions o ...

optometry Optometry is a specialized health care profession that involves examining the eyes and related structures for defects or abnormalities. Optometrists are health care professionals who typically provide comprehensive primary eye care. In the Uni ...

shoemaking Shoemaking is the process of making footwear. Originally, shoes were made one at a time by hand, often by groups of shoemakers, or cobblers (also known as '' cordwainers''). In the 18th century, dozens or even hundreds of masters, journeymen ...

, and

taxidermy Taxidermy is the art of preserving an animal's body via mounting (over an armature) or stuffing, for the purpose of display or study. Animals are often, but not always, portrayed in a lifelike state. The word ''taxidermy'' describes the proce ...

. In 1802,

John Isaac Hawkins John Isaac Hawkins (1772–1855) was an inventor who practised civil engineering. He was known as the co-inventor of the ever-pointed pencil, an early mechanical pencil, and of the upright piano. Early life Hawkins was born 14 March 1772 at Taun ...

patented the second official

physiognotrace A physiognotrace is an instrument, designed to trace a person's physiognomy to make semi-automated portrait aquatints. Invented in France in 1783–1784, it was popular for some decades. The sitter climbed into a wooden frame (1.75m high x 0.65m ...

, a mechanical drawing device, and partnered with Peale to market it to prospective buyers. Peale sent a watercolor sketch of the physiognotrace, along with a detailed explanation, to

. The drawing is now held with the Jefferson Papers in the Library of Congress. 1804 Jeffersons-Polygraph-Monticello Cville VA

Around 1804, Peale obtained the American patent rights to the

polygraph A polygraph, often incorrectly referred to as a lie detector test, is a device or procedure that measures and records several physiological indicators such as blood pressure, pulse, respiration, and skin conductivity while a person is asked an ...

from its inventor John Isaac Hawkins, about the same time as the purchase of one by Thomas Jefferson. Peale and Jefferson collaborated on refinements to this device, which enabled a copy of a handwritten letter to be produced simultaneously with the original. Peale wrote several books. Two of these were ''An Essay on Building Wooden Bridges'' (1797) and ''An Epistle to a Friend on the Means of Preserving Health'' (1803).

Legacy and honors

* Three of his sons, Rembrandt Peale, Raphaelle Peale, and Titian Ramsay Peale, became noted artists. * The

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

cargo

Liberty Ship Liberty ships were a class of cargo ship built in the United States during World War II under the Emergency Shipbuilding Program. Though British in concept, the design was adopted by the United States for its simple, low-cost construction. Mass ...

S.S. ''Charles Willson Peale'' was named in his honor.

Notable works

File:Morris, Mrs. Robert (3-4 length) - NARA - 532937.jpg, ''Mrs. Mary

hite Hite or HITE may refer to: *HiteJinro, a South Korean brewery **Hite Brewery *Hite (surname) *Hite, California, former name of Hite Cove, California *Hite, Utah, a ghost town * HITE, an industrial estate in Pakistan See also *''Hite v. Fairfax ...

Morris'' (1763) File:Robert morris portrait.jpg, ''Robert Morris'' (1763) File:Charles Willson Peale - Anne Catharine Hoof Green - Google Art Project.jpg, ''

Anne Catherine Hoof Green Anne Catherine Hoof Green (c.1720 – March 23, 1775) was a printer and publisher in Maryland. Early life Anne Hoof was most likely born in the Netherlands around 1720. She emigrated to Philadelphia with her parents sometime between 1720 an ...

'' (1769) File:Nancy Hallam as Fidele in Shakespeare's Cymbeline Charles Willson Peale 1771.jpeg, ''Nancy Hallam as Fidele in Shakespeare's ''

Cymbeline ''Cymbeline'' , also known as ''The Tragedie of Cymbeline'' or ''Cymbeline, King of Britain'', is a play by William Shakespeare set in British Iron Age, Ancient Britain () and based on legends that formed part of the Matter of Britain concerni ...

(1771) File:Charles Willson Peale, American - Portrait of John and Elizabeth Lloyd Cadwalader and their Daughter Anne - Google Art Project.jpg, ''Portrait of John and Elizabeth Lloyd Cadwalader and their Daughter Anne'' (1772) File:Washington 1772.jpg, ''George Washington in uniform, as colonel of the First Virginia Regiment'' (1772) File:Peale, Charles Wilson - Henrietta Maria Bordley, 1773, age 10.jpg, ''Henrietta Maria Bordley at age 10'' (1773), Honolulu Academy of Arts File:МиниатюраДжВашингтон002.jpg, ''Miniature portrait of

'' (1775–76) File:Charles Willson Peale - Mrs. James Smith and Grandson - Google Art Project.jpg, ''Mrs. James Smith and Grandson'' (1776) (see William Smith) File:Mrs. Samuel Mifflin and Her Granddaughter Rebecca Mifflin Francis.jpg, ''Mrs. Samuel Mifflin and Her Granddaughter Rebecca Mifflin Francis'' (1777–1780) File:Washington peale.jpg, ''Portrait of

'' (1779) File:Charles Willson Peale - John Laurens - Google Art Project.jpg, ''Miniature of

John Laurens John Laurens (October 28, 1754 – August 27, 1782) was an American soldier and statesman from Province of South Carolina, South Carolina during the American Revolutionary War, best known for his criticism of slavery and his efforts to help recr ...

'' (1780) File:Baron Steuben by Peale, 1780.jpg, '' Baron Frederick William von Steuben'' (1780) File:Armand Tuffin de La Rouërie (Charles Willson Peale).jpg, '' Armand Tuffin de La Rouërie'' (1782) File:ArthurStClairOfficialPortrait.jpg, '' Arthur St. Clair'' (1782) File:William Moultrie portrait.jpg, ''

William Moultrie William Moultrie (; November 23, 1730 – September 27, 1805) was an American planter and politician who became a general in the American Revolutionary War. As colonel leading a state militia, in 1776 he prevented the British from taking Charle ...

'' (1782) File:greene portrait.jpg, ''

Nathanael Greene Nathanael Greene (June 19, 1786, sometimes misspelled Nathaniel) was a major general of the Continental Army in the American Revolutionary War. He emerged from the war with a reputation as General George Washington's most talented and dependabl ...

'' (1783) File:Benjamin lincoln by charles wilson peale.jpg, ''

Benjamin Lincoln Benjamin Lincoln (January 24, 1733 ( O.S. January 13, 1733) – May 9, 1810) was an American army officer. He served as a major general in the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War. Lincoln was involved in three major surrender ...

'' (1784) File:Henry Knox by Peale.jpg, ''

Henry Knox Henry Knox (July 25, 1750 – October 25, 1806), a Founding Father of the United States, was a senior general of the Continental Army during the Revolutionary War, serving as chief of artillery in most of Washington's campaigns. Following the ...

'' (1784) File:George Washington at Princeton-PAFA.jpg, ''George Washington at the Battle of Princeton'' (1784) File:Washington, Lafayette & Tilghman at Yorktown.jpg, ''Washington,

Lafayette Lafayette or La Fayette may refer to: People * Lafayette (name), a list of people with the surname Lafayette or La Fayette or the given name Lafayette * House of La Fayette, a French noble family ** Gilbert du Motier, Marquis de Lafayette (1757� ...

& Tilghman at Yorktown'' (1784) File:Brooklyn Museum - Mrs. David Forman and Child - Charles Willson Peale - overall.jpg, ''Mrs. David Forman and Child'' (),

Brooklyn Museum The Brooklyn Museum is an art museum located in the New York City borough of Brooklyn. At , the museum is New York City's second largest and contains an art collection with around 1.5 million objects. Located near the Prospect Heights, Crown H ...

File:John Hazelwood, Peale.jpg, ''

John Hazelwood John Hazelwood (1726 – March 1, 1800) served as a Commodore (rank), Commodore in the Pennsylvania Navy and Continental Navy and was among the most noted naval officers during the American Revolutionary War. Born in England about 1726, he ...

'' (178?) File:Timothy Matlack.jpg, '' Timothy Matlack'' () File:Jefferson-peale.jpg, ''

'' (1791) File:CWPeale .jpg, ''

Charles Pettit Charles Pettit (1736 – September 4, 1806) was an American lawyer and merchant from New Jersey and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He served as a delegate for Pennsylvania to the Confederation Congress from 1785 to 1787. Biography Charles Pettit w ...

'' (1792) File:Charles Willson Peale - David Rittenhouse - Google Art Project.jpg, ''

David Rittenhouse David Rittenhouse (April 8, 1732 – June 26, 1796) was an American astronomer, inventor, clockmaker, mathematician, surveyor, scientific instrument craftsman, and public official. Rittenhouse was a member of the American Philosophical Society ...

'' (1796) File:Joseph Brant by Charles Willson Peale 1797.jpg, ''

Joseph Brant Thayendanegea or Joseph Brant (March 1743 – November 24, 1807) was a Mohawk people, Mohawk military and political leader, based in present-day New York (state), New York, who was closely associated with Kingdom of Great Britain, Great B ...

'' (1797) File:James Wilkinson.jpg, ''

James Wilkinson James Wilkinson (March 24, 1757 – December 28, 1825) was an American soldier, politician, and double agent who was associated with several scandals and controversies. He served in the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War, b ...

'' (1797) File:James Mitchell Varnum.jpg, ''

James Mitchell Varnum James Mitchell Varnum (December 17, 1748 – January 9, 1789) was an American legislator, lawyer, generalHeitman, ''Officers of the Continental Army'', 559. in the Continental Army, and a pioneer to the Ohio Country.Wilkins, ''Memoirs of the Rho ...

'' (1804) File:C W Peale - The Exhumation of the Mastadon.jpeg, ''Exhuming the First American Mastodon'' (1806) File:Meriwether Lewis-Charles Willson Peale.jpg, ''

Meriwether Lewis Meriwether Lewis (August 18, 1774 – October 11, 1809) was an American explorer, soldier, politician, and public administrator, best known for his role as the leader of the Lewis and Clark Expedition, also known as the Corps of Discovery, with ...

'' (1807) File:William Clark-Charles Willson Peale.jpg, ''

William Clark William Clark (August 1, 1770 – September 1, 1838) was an American explorer, soldier, Indian agent, and territorial governor. A native of Virginia, he grew up in pre-statehood Kentucky before later settling in what became the state of Misso ...

'' (1810) File:Portrait of Yarrow Mamout (Muhammad Yaro), 1819. Charles Willson Peale.jpg, ''

Yarrow Mamout Yarrow Mamout (c. 1736 – January 19, 1823) was a formerly enslaved African entrepreneur and property owner in Georgetown, Washington, D.C. An educated Fulani Muslim, he gained his freedom in 1796 after 44 years as a slave. James Alexander Si ...

'' (1819)

References

Sources * Lily Bita, ''Charles Willson Peale, the patriarch'' "Apodemon Epos" Magazine of European Art Center (EUARCE) of Greece, 2st issue 1997 p. 3

External links

Reynolda House Museum of American Art: Mr. and Mrs. Alexander Robinson, 1795

''Charles Willson Peale and His World''
from the Metropolitan Museum of Art
Peale-Sellers Family Collection at the American Philosophical Society

Overview of an archival collection on Charles Willson Peale.

* ttp://www.getty.edu/vow/ULANFullDisplay?find=peale%2C+charles%25&role=&nation=&prev_page=1&subjectid=500017914 Union List of Artist Names, Getty Vocabularies.ULAN Full Record Display for Charles Willson Peale. Getty Vocabulary Program, Getty Research Institute. Los Angeles, California.
James Madison, Bust Portrait Miniature
by Peale from the
Rare Book and Special Collection Division
at The

Library of Congress The Library of Congress (LOC) is the research library that officially serves the United States Congress and is the ''de facto'' national library of the United States. It is the oldest federal cultural institution in the country. The library is ...

Catherine "Kitty" Floyd, Bust Portrait Miniature
by Peale from th
Rare Book and Special Collection Division
at The

{{DEFAULTSORT:Peale, Charles Willson 1741 births 1827 deaths 18th-century American painters 18th-century American male artists 19th-century American painters American male painters American slave owners American people of English descent American portrait painters Trompe-l'œil artists Museum founders Pennsylvania militiamen in the American Revolution People from Queen Anne's County, Maryland

Charles Charles is a masculine given name predominantly found in English language, English and French language, French speaking countries. It is from the French form ''Charles'' of the Proto-Germanic, Proto-Germanic name (in runic alphabet) or ''*k ...

Sibling artists People of colonial Maryland Burials at St. Peter's churchyard, Philadelphia 19th-century American male artists Members of the American Philosophical Society