James Peale (1749 – May 24, 1831) 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 ...

, best known for his miniature and

still life A still life (plural: still lifes) is a work of art depicting mostly wikt:inanimate, inanimate subject matter, typically commonplace objects which are either natural (food, flowers, dead animals, plants, rocks, shells, etc.) or artificiality, m ...

paintings, and a younger brother of noted painter Charles Willson Peale.

Early life

Peale was born in

Chestertown, Maryland Chestertown is a town in Kent County, Maryland, United States. The population was 5,252 as of the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Kent County. History Founded in 1706, Chestertown rose in stature when it was named one of the English col ...

, the second child, after Charles, of Charles Peale (1709–1750) and Margaret Triggs (1709–1791). His father died when he was an infant, and the family moved to

Annapolis 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 ...

. In 1762, he began to serve apprenticeships there, first in a saddlery and later in a cabinetmaking shop. After his brother Charles returned from

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

in 1769, where he had studied with Benjamin West, Peale served as his assistant and learned how to paint.

Career

James Peale - Still Life with Vegetables - Google Art Project

Peale worked in his brother's studio until January 14, 1776, when he accepted a commission 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 ...

as an ensign in William Smallwood's regiment. Within three months he was promoted to captain, and during the next three years fought in the battles of

Long Island Long Island is a densely populated island in the southeastern region of the U.S. state of New York (state), New York, part of the New York metropolitan area. With over 8 million people, Long Island is the most populous island in the United Sta ...

, White Plains, Trenton, Brandywine,

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 * Ger ...

Princeton Princeton University is a private research university in Princeton, New Jersey. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and one of the nine ...

, and

Monmouth Monmouth ( , ; cy, Trefynwy meaning "town on the Monnow") is a town and community in Wales. It is situated where the River Monnow joins the River Wye, from the Wales–England border. Monmouth is northeast of Cardiff, and west of London. I ...

. He resigned his army commission in 1779, and moved to

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 ...

to live with his brother. (One notable later collaboration, however, was in 1788 to make floats for Philadelphia's Federal Procession in honor of the newly drafted

United States Constitution The Constitution of the United States is the Supremacy Clause, supreme law of the United States, United States of America. It superseded the Articles of Confederation, the nation's first constitution, in 1789. Originally comprising seven ar ...

). At the conclusion of the Revolutionary War Peale was admitted as an original member of The

Society of the Cincinnati The Society of the Cincinnati is a fraternal, hereditary society founded in 1783 to commemorate the American Revolutionary War that saw the creation of the United States. Membership is largely restricted to descendants of military officers wh ...

of Maryland when it was established in 1783.Metcalf, Bryce (1938). ''Original Members and Other Officers Eligible to the

, 1783-1938: With the Institution, Rules of Admission, and Lists of the Officers of the General and State Societies'' Strasburg, VA: Shenandoah Publishing House, Inc., p. 246. At the outset of his painting career Peale painted

portrait A portrait is a portrait painting, painting, portrait photography, photograph, sculpture, or other artistic representation of a person, in which the face and its expressions are predominant. The intent is to display the likeness, Personality type ...

s and

still-life A still life (plural: still lifes) is a work of art depicting mostly inanimate subject matter, typically commonplace objects which are either natural (food, flowers, dead animals, plants, rocks, shells, etc.) or man-made (drinking glasses, boo ...

, and by the mid-1780s had established his reputation. At about this time, however, Charles turned over his own miniature portrait practice to him, and throughout the 1790s and early 19th century Peale devoted himself to miniature painting. Much of this work was

watercolor Watercolor (American English) or watercolour (British English; see spelling differences), also ''aquarelle'' (; from Italian diminutive of Latin ''aqua'' "water"), is a painting method”Watercolor may be as old as art itself, going back to t ...

on ivory. In 1795 Peale exhibited a still life of fruit along with nine miniatures and his family portrait at the Columbianum, a short-lived art academy in Philadelphia. Around 1810, as Peale's eyesight began to weaken, he gave up painting miniatures to turn to large portraits and still-life subjects that were greatly admired and widely exhibited in

Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...

, and

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 ...

. The total number of Peale's landscape paintings remains unknown, but he executed more than 200 watercolor miniatures on ivory, perhaps 100 still-life paintings, fewer than 70 oil portraits, and at least 8 history paintings.

Personal life

Portrait of margaretta peale james peale

In 1782 he married Mary Claypoole (1753-1828), a daughter of James Claypoole and sister of portrait painter James Claypoole Jr., after which he established his own household and artistic career. Together, Mary and James were the parents of seven children, three of whom became accomplished painters in their own right, including:The Claypoole Family
/ref> * Maria Claypoole Peale (1787–1866) also became a painter of still lifes, though of less distinction than her sisters. * James Peale Jr. (1789–1876), who married his cousin, Sophonisba Peale (1801–1878), daughter of

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 ...

. *

Anna Claypoole Peale Anna Claypoole Peale (March 6, 1791 – December 25, 1878) was an American painter who specialized in portrait miniatures on ivory and still lifes. She and her sister, Sarah Miriam Peale, were the first women elected academicians of the Pennsylvan ...

(1791–1878), a miniaturist and still-life painter * Margaretta Angelica Peale (1796–1882), painter of trompe l’oeil subjects and tabletop fruit *

Sarah Miriam Peale Sarah Miriam Peale (May 19, 1800 – February 4, 1885) was an American portrait painter, considered the first American woman to succeed as a professional artist. One of a family of artists of whom her uncle Charles Willson Peale was the most illu ...

(1800–1885), a portraitist and still-life painter * Jane Ramsay Peale * Eleanor Peale. Peale died in Philadelphia on May 24, 1831 and is buried at

Gloria Dei (Old Swedes') Church Gloria Dei Church, known locally as Old Swedes, is a historic church located in the Southwark neighborhood of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, at 929 South Water Street, bounded by Christian Street on the north, South Christopher Columbus Boulevard ( ...

cemetery along with this wife and six children.Miller, Lillian B. ''The Peale Family: Creation of a Legacy 1770-1870''. Washington, D.C.: Abbeville Press, 1996.

Gallery

File:James Peale, Still Life, oil on panel, c. 1824, HAA.jpg, ''Still Life'', oil on panel painting by James Peale, c. 1824, Honolulu Museum of Art Image:James Peal's oil painting 'Fruits of Autumn'.jpg, ''Fruits of Autumn'' Image:View on the wissahickon james peale.jpg, ''View on the Wissahickon'' Image:Washington 1787-1790.jpg, ''George Washington'' File:The Battle of Princeton by James Peale.jpg, ''The Battle of Princeton'', 1782 File:The Artist and His Family James Peale.jpeg, ''The Artist and His Family'', 1795. Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts Image:Anna and mararetta peale james peale.jpg, Anna and Margaretta Peale Image:James Peal's painting 'The Ramsay-Polk Family at Carpenter’s Point, Cecil County, Maryland'.jpg, ''The Ramsay-Polk Family at Carpenter’s Point, Cecil County, Maryland'' File:The Generals at Yorktown James Peale.jpeg, ''The Generals at Yorktown'',

Colonial Williamsburg Foundation Colonial Williamsburg is a living-history museum and private foundation presenting a part of the historic district in the city of Williamsburg, Virginia, United States. The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation has 7300 employees at this location and ...

File:Sir Peter Parker's Attack Against Fort Moultrie.jpeg, ''Sir Peter Parker's Attack Against Fort Moultrie'',

File:The Ambush of Captain Allan McIane.jpeg, ''The Ambush of Captain Allan McIane'', 1803,

Utah Museum of Fine Arts The Utah Museum of Fine Arts (UMFA) is the region's primary resource for culture and visual arts. It is located in the Marcia and John Price Museum Building in Salt Lake City, Utah on the University of Utah campus near Rice-Eccles Stadium. Works ...

File:Encounter between Capt. Allan McLane and a British dragoon at Frankfort, near Philadelphia - NARA - 530954.jpg, Another version by James Peale's painting of encounter between Allan McLane and British dragoons File:Anna Sophia Alexander Robertson James Peale 1816.jpeg, ''Anna Sophia Alexander Robertson (Mrs. William Theberton)'', 1816 File:Portrait of William Young James Peale.jpeg, ''Portrait of William Young'', 1817

References

External links

*
''American paintings & historical prints from the Middendorf collection''
an exhibition catalog from The Metropolitan Museum of Art (fully available online as PDF), which contains material on Peale (no. 6)
Union List of Artist Names, Getty Vocabularies.
ULAN Full Record Display for James Peale, Sr. Getty Vocabulary Program, Getty Research Institute. Los Angeles, California.
The Society of the Cincinnati

The American Revolution Institute
{{DEFAULTSORT:Peale, James 1749 births 1831 deaths 18th-century American painters 18th-century American male artists American male painters 19th-century American painters 19th-century American male artists Continental Army officers from Maryland

James James is a common English language surname and given name: *James (name), the typically masculine first name James * James (surname), various people with the last name James James or James City may also refer to: People * King James (disambiguat ...

Sibling artists People from Chestertown, Maryland Painters from Maryland People of colonial Maryland Burials at Gloria Dei (Old Swedes') Church