Saluting James Peale

James Peale, part of a famous family in American art, is best known for his miniatures, such as the ones shown here.

Born in Chestertown, Maryland, James Peale worked in the saddlery of his older brother, Charles Willson Peale, in Annapolis, Maryland, and subsequently was apprenticed as a carpenter.

When Charles returned from England in 1769 as a trained artist, James served as his studio assistant. By the spring of 1771 Charles had given him instruction in painting from life.

James served in the Continental Army during the American Revolution and then settled in Philadelphia. Always somewhat overshadowed by his dynamic older brother, James Peale nonetheless became an accomplished painter of miniature portraits. Such small works were usually made with gouache or watercolor on ivory.

When his eyesight began to fail, he gave up painting miniatures about 1810 and turned to larger portraits, still lifes, and landscapes before his death on May 24, 1831.

Pictured top: James Peale, 1749–1831, Josiah Hewes Anthony, 1790, watercolor on ivory, 1 3/4 x 1 1/2 in., Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Ruel P. Tolman.

Pictured bottom: James Peale, 1749–1831, Susan Correy, about 1790, watercolor on ivory, 1 15/16 x 1 7/16 in., Smithsonian American Art Museum, Museum purchase.