Sarah Miriam Peale (May 19, 1800 – February 4, 1885) was an American

portrait painter Portrait Painting is a genre in painting, where the intent is to represent a specific human subject. The term 'portrait painting' can also describe the actual painted portrait. Portraitists may create their work by commission, for public and pr ...

, considered the first American woman to succeed as a professional artist. One of a family of artists of whom her uncle

Charles Willson Peale Charles Willson Peale (April 15, 1741 – February 22, 1827) was an American Painting, painter, soldier, scientist, inventor, politician and naturalist. He is best remembered for his portrait paintings of leading figures of the American Revolu ...

was the most illustrious, Sarah Peale painted portraits mainly of Maryland, Pennsylvania and Washington, D.C. notables, politicians, and military figures.

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� ...

sat for her four times.

Life

Sarah was born in

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. Since ...

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, ...

, the youngest daughter of the

miniaturist A portrait miniature is a miniature portrait painting, usually executed in gouache, watercolor, or enamel. Portrait miniatures developed out of the techniques of the miniatures in illuminated manuscripts, and were popular among 16th-century eli ...

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, bo ...

painter

James Peale James Peale (1749 – May 24, 1831) was an American painter, best known for his miniature and still life paintings, and a younger brother of noted painter Charles Willson Peale. Early life Peale was born in Chestertown, Maryland, the second ...

, younger brother of

. Her mother was Miriam Claypoole. Her father and her uncle trained her as an artist, and she served as her father's studio assistant. During her time as a studio assistant, she gained experience in mixing paints, preparing canvases, and delineating backgrounds. Sarah and her sisters, Anna Claypoole and Margaretta, were different from the middle-class women of the time, as they experienced schooling, how to be a wife and mother, as well as developed entrepreneurial skills from their family such as art. As a young girl, she gained experience doing the finishing touches on her father's paintings. Her first public works date from 1816 with subjects such as flowers and still-life, but soon turned to portraiture. In 1818, she spent three months with

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 ...

, her cousin, in

Baltimore Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic, and the 30th most populous city in the United States with a population of 585,708 in 2020. Baltimore was ...

, and again in 1820 and 1822. He influenced her early painting style and subject matter, as did critic John Neal. For 25 years, she painted in Baltimore (1822–1847) and, intermittently, in Washington, D.C. She attended sessions of Congress, and painted portraits of many public figures. Sarah first exhibited at the Pennsylvania Academy with ''Portrait of a Lady'' (1818). She was accepted to the

Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts Pennsylvania (; (Pennsylvania Dutch language, Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a U.S. state, state spanning the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern United States, Northeastern, Appa ...

in 1824Dinner Party database of notable women at the Brooklyn Museum. along with her sister Anna Claypoole Peale, the first women to achieve this distinction. She opened a studio in Baltimore in 1831. Over 100 commissioned portrait paintings are known from her time in Baltimore. She was known the most prolific artist in the city during that era. Her oil portraits were quickly sought after by congressmen, diplomats, and other wealthy individuals in the Maryland area. Her portrait work is regarded as stylistically unique due to her usage of detailed furs, lace, and fabrics as well as realistic faces, skin, and hair. Basket of berries sarah miriam peale

In 1847, ill health caused her to relocate to

St. Louis St. Louis () is the second-largest city in Missouri, United States. It sits near the confluence of the Mississippi and the Missouri Rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a population of 301,578, while the bi-state metropolitan area, which e ...

where she became independently successful, one of America's first professional female artists able to earn her living through her work. Most of her work from this era is in private hands. Around 1860, she shifted her subjects from portraits back to still-life, but with a natural arrangement rather that the formal ones of her earlier years. She returned to her hometown in 1878, living out her last years there with her sisters Anna Claypoole (died 1879) and Margaretta Angelica (died 1879). Like her sisters, she never married. She died in 1885, aged 85. She is buried at the Gloria Dei (Old Swedes') Church Burial Ground in Philadelphia. Several paintings by Peale were included in the inaugural exhibition of the

National Museum of Women in the Arts The National Museum of Women in the Arts (NMWA), located in Washington, D.C., is "the first museum in the world solely dedicated" to championing women through the arts. NMWA was incorporated in 1981 by Wallace and Wilhelmina Holladay. Since openi ...

, ''American Women Artists 1830-1930'', in 1987.

Works

An incomplete list of exhibited works: *''Self-Portrait'', 1818, oil on canvas, 61.2 x 48.3 cm, National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC *''Anna Marie Smyth'', 1821, oil on canvas, 91.4 x 71.1 cm,

, Philadelphia *''Susan Avery'', 1821, oil on canvas, 89.5 x 69.85 cm,

, Washington, DC *''Isaac Avery'', 1821, oil on canvas, 89.5 x 69.85 cm,

, Washington, DC *''Fruits and Wine'', 1822, oil on canvas, 29.8 x 40.6 cm *'' John Neal'', 1823, oil on canvas,

Portland Museum of Art The Portland Museum of Art, or PMA, is the largest and oldest public art institution in the U.S. state of Maine. Founded as the Portland Society of Art in 1882. It is located in the downtown area known as The Arts District in Portland, Maine. ...

, Portland, Maine *''Mrs.

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 ...

and Son'', 1823, oil on canvas, 76.2 x 60.9 cm, The

Peale Museum The Peale, located in Baltimore, Maryland, is Baltimore's Community Museum. Its mission is to evolve the role of museums in society by providing local creators and storytellers with the space and support the need to realize a complete and access ...

, Baltimore * ''Elijah Bosley ''(1740–1841) circa 1825, oil on canvas 73.66 cm x 62.23 cm, private collection, Virginia *''José Silvestre Rabello'', in 1826, oil on canvas, 70.5 x 89.2 cm, Brazilian Embassy Collection, Washington, DC *''Still Life: Grapes and Watermelon'', 1828, oil on canvas, 36.2 x 48.3 cm, Maryland Historical Society, Baltimore *''Peaches and Grapes in a Porcelain Bowl'', 1829, oil on canvas, 29.8 x 38.1 cm,

Montclair Art Museum The Montclair Art Museum (MAM) is located in Montclair, New Jersey, United States, a few miles west of New York City. Since it opened in 1914 as the first museum in New Jersey that granted access to the public and the first dedicated solely to a ...

, Montclair, New Jersey *''Self-Portrait'', 1830, oil on canvas, 68.6 x 50.8 cm, The Peale Museum, Baltimore City Life Museums *''Charles Lavalle Jessop (Boy on a Rocking Horse)'', 1840, oil on canvas, 90.1 x 106 cm *''Mrs. William Crane'', 1840, 75,6 x 62,9 cm,

San Diego Museum of Art The San Diego Museum of Art is a fine arts museum located at 1450 El Prado in Balboa Park in San Diego, California that houses a broad collection with particular strength in Spanish art. The San Diego Museum of Art opened as The Fine Arts Galler ...

, California *''Charlotte Ramsay Bobinson'', 1840, oil on canvas, oval, 96.5 x 66 cm, The Peale Museum, Baltimore City Life Museums *''

Henry Alexander Wise Henry Alexander Wise (December 3, 1806 – September 12, 1876) was an American attorney, diplomat, politician and slave owner from Virginia. As the 33rd Governor of Virginia, Wise served as a significant figure on the path to the American Civil W ...

'', 1842, oil on canvas, 74.9 x 62.2 cm,

Virginia Museum of Fine Arts The Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, or VMFA, is an art museum in Richmond, Virginia, United States, which opened in 1936. The museum is owned and operated by the Commonwealth of Virginia. Private donations, endowments, and funds are used for the ...

, Richmond *'' Senator Thomas Hart Benton'', 1842, oil on canvas, 76.2 x 63.5 cm,

Missouri Historical Society The Missouri Historical Society was founded in St. Louis on August 11, 1866. Founding members created the historical society "for the purpose of saving from oblivion the early history of the city and state". Organization The Missouri Historica ...

, Saint Louis *''Basket of Berries'', 1860, oil on canvas, oval, 30.5 x 25.4 cm *'' Senator Lewis Fields Linn'', oil on canvas, Missouri Historical Society, Saint Louis

Awards

* Academician, Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, Philadelphia, PA, USA (1824)

Notes

References

* *Miller, Lillian B. The Peale Family: Creation of a Legacy 1770–1870. (Washington, D.C.: Abbeville Press), 1996. * * Wilbur H. Hunter and John Mahey: Miss Sarah Miriam Peale: 1800–1885; portraits and still life; exhibition, February 5, 1967 through March 26, 1967, The Peale Museum, Baltimore, Maryland

External links

Gallery of works
at the Athenaeum website. Accessed January 2010 *
Missouri Remembers: Artists in Missouri through 1951
{{DEFAULTSORT:Peale, Sarah Miriam 1800 births 1885 deaths 19th-century American painters American portrait painters American still life painters American neoclassical painters Artists from Philadelphia

Sarah Sarah (born Sarai) is a biblical matriarch and prophetess, a major figure in Abrahamic religions. While different Abrahamic faiths portray her differently, Judaism, Christianity, and Islam all depict her character similarly, as that of a pio ...

Sibling artists American women painters Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts alumni 19th-century American women artists Burials at Gloria Dei (Old Swedes') Church