Artist

Charles Willson Peale

born Queen Anne's County, MD 1741-died Philadelphia, PA 1827
Media - portrait_image_113245.jpg - 90170
The Artist in His Museum by Charles Willson Peale. 1822. Courtesy Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts.
Also known as
  • Charles W. Peale
  • C. W. Peale
Born
Queen Anne's County, Maryland, United States
Died
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States
Active in
  • Annapolis, Maryland, United States
  • London, England
Biography

Born 15 April 1741, Queen Anne's County, Md. 1750, death of father. 1751, family moved to Annapolis. 1754, apprenticed to a saddler. 1761, established a shop in Annapolis. 1762, married Rachel Brewer. Became interested in painting; 1763, studied briefly with John Hesselius. 1764, joined Sons of Freedom in opposition to the "court" party of Maryland. 1765, sailed to Boston and Newburyport; met and studied briefly with John Singleton Copley.

1766, moved to Accomac, Va., then Annapolis; in December sailed for England to study with Benjamin West. 1768, exhibited with Society of Artists of Great Britain. 1769, returned to Annapolis; painted in Maryland and Philadelphia. 1772, first portrait of George Washington. 1774, son Raphaelle born. 1775, daughter Angelica Kauffmann born.

1776, moved to Philadelphia and joined city militia. Fought in battles of Trenton and Princeton. 1777, chairman of Whig Society. 1778, son Rembrandt born. 1779, commissioned by Supreme Executive Council of Pennsylvania to paint portrait of Washington. Elected representative to General Assembly of Pennsylvania. 1780, son Titian Ramsay born. 1782, added exhibition room to his house; opened portrait gallery. 1784, son Rubens born; 1786, daughter Sophonisba Angusciola born. "Peale's Museum" (the Philadelphia Museum) opened.

1787, made mezzotints after his portraits. 1790, wife Rachel died. 1791, married Elizabeth DePeyster. 1794, son Charles Linnaeus born; 1795, son Benjamin Franklin. 1797, published "An Essay on Building Wooden Bridges;" developed the patent fireplace; daughter Sybilla Miriam born. 1799, son Titian Ramsay II born.

Published first lecture, "Introduction to a Course of Lectures on Natural History Delivered in the University of Pennsylvania. …" 1801, organized expedition for first American exhumation of a mastodon, which he exhibited. 1802, daughter Elizabeth DePeyster born. 1804, wife Elizabeth died. 1805, co-founder, Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts; married Hannah Moore. 1810, retired to "Belfield," farm outside Philadelphia, turning museum over to Rubens. 1812, published "An Essay to Promote Domestic Happiness."1818–19, in Washington, D.C. 1821, incorporated Philadelphia Museum Company; wife Hannah died. 1822, resumed management of museum. Experimented with manufacture of porcelain teeth. Died 22 February 1827, Philadelphia.

William Kloss Treasures from the National Museum of American Art (Washington, D.C. and London: National Museum of American Art with the Smithsonian Institution Press, 1985)

Works by this artist (13 items)

Charles Willson Peale, Mrs. James Smith and Grandson, 1776, oil on canvas, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Wilson Levering Smith, Jr. and museum purchase, 1980.93
Mrs. James Smith and Grandson
Date1776
oil on canvas
On view
Charles Willson Peale, Rev. Joseph Pilmore, 1787, mezzotint on paper, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of International Business Machines Corporation, 1966.48.84
Rev. Joseph Pilmore
Date1787
mezzotint on paper
Not on view
Portrait of Thayendanegea (Joseph Brant)
Artist
Unidentified
Dateafter 1797
oil on canvas
Not on view

Exhibitions

An oil on canvas of a man lifting a curtain into his museum
The Great American Hall of Wonders
July 14, 2011January 8, 2012
The exhibition The Great American Hall of Wonders examines the nineteenth-century American belief that the people of the United States shared a special genius for innovation.
A painting of a bridge made from nature.
Alexander von Humboldt and the United States: Art, Nature, and Culture
May 14, 2021July 11, 2021
Alexander von Humboldt and the United States: Art, Nature, and Culture reveals how the influential naturalist and explorer shaped American perceptions of nature and the way American cultural identity became grounded in our relationship with the e

Related Books

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Young America: Treasures from the Smithsonian American Art Museum
Young America: Treasures from the Smithsonian American Art Museum commemorates “Treasures to Go,” a series of eight exhibitions from the Smithsonian American Art Museum, which toured the nation through 2002. The Principal Financial Group is a proud partner in presenting these treasures to the American people.