Peale, Charles Willson

Peale, Charles Willson

(1741–1827) painter, naturalist, museum founder (brother of James Peale); born in Queen Annes County, Md. He began as a saddler (1762), studied with John Hesselius in Philadelphia (c. 1762), and with Benjamin West in London (1767–69). He settled in Annapolis, Maryland (1769–75), and painted many portraits. After service in the Continental army (1775–78), he established himself in Philadelphia (c. 1778), and was a member (Dem.) of the Pennsylvania Assembly (1779–80). He established the Portrait Gallery of the Heroes of the Revolution (1782), and founded the Peale Museum of natural history and technology (1786). His most famous painting is The Staircase Group (1795), an illusionist work portraying his sons Raphaelle and Titian Peale. Married three times, he had 17 children, many of whom were artists. A respected and prominent advocate of neoclassical ideals and social and political justice, Peale's work is highly regarded.

The Cambridge Dictionary of American Biography, by John S. Bowman. Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1995. Reproduced with permission.