Portrait of Rosalba Peale

Rembrandt Peale, Portrait of Rosalba Peale, ca. 1820, oil on canvas, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Museum purchase, 1978.71
Copied Rembrandt Peale, Portrait of Rosalba Peale, ca. 1820, oil on canvas, 20 x 14 5⁄8 in. (50.8 x 37.0 cm.), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Museum purchase, 1978.71
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Artwork Details

Title
Portrait of Rosalba Peale
Artist
Date
ca. 1820
Location
Not on view
Dimensions
20 x 14 5⁄8 in. (50.8 x 37.0 cm.)
Credit Line
Museum purchase
Mediums
Mediums Description
oil on canvas
Classifications
Subjects
  • Occupation — art — artist
  • Portrait female — Peale, Rosalba — bust
Object Number
1978.71
Linked Open Data
https://edan.si.edu/saam/id/object/1978.71

Artwork Description

Rembrandt Peale tutored his daughter Rosalba (1799-1874) in art and raised her as an independent and strong-minded woman. Author and critic John Neal wrote that "Her mind is excellent. Her father has always taught her to think for herself, to reason, and to be firm, without wrangling or argument, in the expression of her opinions." (Miller, Rembrandt Peale, 1778-1860, A Life in the Arts, 1985) Although "Rosa" had many suitors, she refused to wed "the everyday man" and did not marry until she was sixty-two years old. In this portrait, made when she was in her early twenties, Rosalba's pensive expression conveys the alert mind and thoughtful conversation that won the admiration of others.