James Peale on:
[Wikipedia]
[Google]
[Amazon]
James Peale (1749 – May 24, 1831) was an American
Peale worked in his brother's studio until January 14, 1776, when he accepted a commission in the
In 1782 he married Mary Claypoole (1753-1828), a daughter of
/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
File:James Peale, Still Life, oil on panel, c. 1824, HAA.jpg, ''Still Life'', oil on panel painting by James Peale, c. 1824,
''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 Sibling artists People from Chestertown, Maryland Painters from Maryland People of colonial Maryland Burials at Gloria Dei (Old Swedes') Church
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 ...
, best known for his miniature 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 ...
paintings, and a younger brother of noted painter 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 ...
.
Early life
Peale was born inChestertown, 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 ...
.
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 List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, 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 dow ...
in 1769, where he had studied with Benjamin West
Benjamin West, (October 10, 1738 – March 11, 1820) was a British-American artist who painted famous historical scenes such as '' The Death of Nelson'', ''The Death of General Wolfe'', the '' Treaty of Paris'', and '' Benjamin Franklin Drawin ...
, Peale served as his assistant and learned how to paint.
Career
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, part of the New York metropolitan area. With over 8 million people, Long Island is the most populous island in the United States and the 18 ...
, White Plains, Trenton, Brandywine Brandywine may refer to:
Food and drink
*Brandy, a spirit produced by distilling wine
*Brandywine tomato, a variety of heirloom tomato
Geographic locations Canada
* Brandywine Falls Provincial Park, British Columbia
* Brandywine Mountain, British ...
, 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
* G ...
, 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 nin ...
, 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. ...
. 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. Since ...
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 supreme law of the United States of America. It superseded the Articles of Confederation, the nation's first constitution, in 1789. Originally comprising seven articles, it delineates the natio ...
).
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 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 ...
, 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 painting, 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, and even the mood of the person. For this ...
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, bo ...
, 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 ...
on ivory
Ivory is a hard, white material from the tusks (traditionally from elephants) and teeth of animals, that consists mainly of dentine, one of the physical structures of teeth and tusks. The chemical structure of the teeth and tusks of mammals i ...
. 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 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 ...
, 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 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 ...
.
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
In 1782 he married Mary Claypoole (1753-1828), a daughter of James Claypoole
James Claypoole, Sr. (January 22, 1720/21September 21, 1784) was an American portrait painter, house painter and glazier. He was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the son of Joseph Claypoole (1677-1740/41)Records of Christ Church, Philadelphia ...
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 (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 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
Honolulu Museum of Art
The Honolulu Museum of Art (formerly the Honolulu Academy of Arts) is an art museum in Honolulu, Hawaii. The museum is the largest of its kind in the state, and was founded in 1922 by Anna Rice Cooke. The museum has one of the largest single co ...
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
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 ...
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 a ...
File:Sir Peter Parker's Attack Against Fort Moultrie.jpeg, ''Sir Peter Parker's Attack Against Fort Moultrie'', 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 a ...
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 Sibling artists People from Chestertown, Maryland Painters from Maryland People of colonial Maryland Burials at Gloria Dei (Old Swedes') Church