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Curious Revolutionaries: The Peales of Philadelphia

The Legacy of the Peales

Hudson River sketchbook

Hudson River Sketchbook

Charles Willson Peale, 1801
Watercolor and ink on paper with leather binding
MJP sketchbook

Diary Sketch

Mary Jane Peale, 1881
Ink on paper with leather binding
Paint Palette

Paint Palette

Rembrandt Peale, 1833-1855
Oil paint and ink on paper
palette 2

Paint Palette

Rembrandt Peale, 1833-1855
Oil paint and ink on paper
Sketch of George Washington

Sketch of George Washington

Rembrandt Peale, date unknown
Pencil on paper
Primer sketches

Sketches for Children's Primer

Titian Ramsay Peale II, date unknown
Pencil and ink on paper
Miniature of James Peale

Miniature of James Peale

Anna Claypoole Peale, c. 1812
Watercolor on ivory
Apples, Pears, Grapes

Apples, Pears, Grapes

Mary Jane Peale, c. 1850-1902
Graphite on paper
Portrait of Mary Jane Peale

Portrait of Mary Jane Peale

Artist and date unknown
Albumen stereograph on paper board
Sheriff's Sale

Sheriff's Sale: Philadelphia Museum

Thomas & Sons Auctioneers, 1848
Ink on paper
Lock of Hair

Lock of Hair

Sophonisba Peale, 1804
Ink, thread, and human hair on paper
Lock of Hair

Lock of Hair

Coleman Sellers, 1804
Ink, thread, and human hair on paper

Hudson River Sketchbook

Charles Willson Peale, 1801
Watercolor and ink on paper with leather binding

Charles Willson sketched views of West Point while traveling through the Hudson River Valley on his way to excavate the mastodon in 1801. He passed on his artistic skills and a love of nature to his children and grandchildren.

APS. Peale-Sellers Family Collection.

Hudson River sketchbook

Diary Sketch

Mary Jane Peale, 1881
Ink on paper with leather binding

Like her grandfather, Mary Jane Peale also found inspiration in nature. Upon meeting William Trost Richards, an American landscape artist, in 1880, Mary Jane drew quick sketches of his paintings of the Cornwall coast.

APS. Presented by Pamela Patterson Roach, Elise Peale Patterson, 1971.

MJP sketchbook

Paint Palette

Rembrandt Peale, 1833-1855
Oil paint and ink on paper

In early America, artists made oil color palettes by mixing powdered pigments with linseed oil. Rembrandt Peale attended chemistry lectures at the University of Pennsylvania in order to better understand the science of pigments.

APS. Peale-Sellers Family Collection.

Paint Palette

Paint Palette

Rembrandt Peale, 1833-1855
Oil paint and ink on paper

In early America, artists made oil color palettes by mixing powdered pigments with linseed oil. Rembrandt Peale attended chemistry lectures at the University of Pennsylvania in order to better understand the science of pigments.

APS. Peale-Sellers Family Collection.

palette 2

Sketch of George Washington

Rembrandt Peale, date unknown
Pencil on paper

This sketch of George Washington portrays the first president as a Roman hero wearing a laurel wreath and toga. Early Americans frequently looked to ancient Rome for ideals of civic virtue and political integrity.

APS. Peale-Sellers Family Collection.

Sketch of George Washington

Sketches for Children's Primer

Titian Ramsay Peale II, date unknown
Pencil and ink on paper

These sketches were likely intended for a child's primer, or textbook. Before the Revolution, primers featured British phrases and motifs. After 1776, illustrators like Titian Ramsay Peale II substituted a more American imagery to instill children with patriotic values.

APS.

Primer sketches

Miniature of James Peale

Anna Claypoole Peale, c. 1812
Watercolor on ivory

Anna Claypoole Peale specialized in miniatures. She and her sister, Sarah Miriam, were the first female members elected to the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts. Both were successful painters at a time when professional female artists were rare.

APS. Gift of Sam Carrier and Susan Kane.

Miniature of James Peale

Apples, Pears, Grapes

Mary Jane Peale, c. 1850-1902
Graphite on paper

Mary Jane Peale carried the Peale family’s artistic legacy through the 19th century. Specializing in still lifes and portraiture, she painted in Europe and at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts.

Collection of La Salle University Art Museum, 97-D-394, Gift of Ann Chahbandour and Jay Robert Stiefel.

Apples, Pears, Grapes

Portrait of Mary Jane Peale

Artist and date unknown
Albumen stereograph on paper board

Charles Willson’s granddaughter, Mary Jane Peale, became a successful artist and carried on the Peale family’s artistic legacy.

APS. Peale-Sellers Family Collection.

Portrait of Mary Jane Peale

Sheriff's Sale: Philadelphia Museum

Thomas & Sons Auctioneers, 1848
Ink on paper

All of the Peale family’s museum collections were sold at auction. In 1848, most of the natural and cultural collections were sold to Moses Kimball and P.T. Barnum, and tragically burned in 1851 and 1865. Some object collections can still be seen at the Harvard Museums of Science and Culture. Luckily, the city of Philadelphia bought many of Peale’s paintings, which can be seen next door at the Second Bank Building, part of Independence National Historic Park.

APS.

Sheriff's Sale

Lock of Hair

Sophonisba Peale, 1804
Ink, thread, and human hair on paper

Descendants of Coleman Sellers and Sophonisba (Peale) Sellers have documented the history and legacy of the family. The Sellers have been major contributors to the American Philosophical Society Library’s Peale-Sellers Family Collection. It is the world’s largest  collection of Peale family archival materials, comprising some 38 boxes and 147 volumes and materials as diverse as those in this exhibition. Researchers from around the world come to the Society to study the Peales.

APS. Peale-Sellers Family Collection.

Lock of Hair

Lock of Hair

Coleman Sellers, 1804
Ink, thread, and human hair on paper

Descendants of Coleman Sellers and Sophonisba (Peale) Sellers have documented the history and legacy of the family. The Sellers have been major contributors to the American Philosophical Society Library’s Peale-Sellers Family Collection. It is the world’s largest  collection of Peale family archival materials, comprising some 38 boxes and 147 volumes and materials as diverse as those in this exhibition. Researchers from around the world come to the Society to study the Peales.

APS. Peale-Sellers Family Collection.

Lock of Hair
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Phone: 215-440-3400

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Phone: 215-440-3400

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