Page:The Biographical Dictionary of America, vol. 08.djvu/259

 PEALE

PEALE

town college, Kentucky, in 1858, and from the law school at Louisville in 1860, and settled in practice at Georgetown. He was married in December, 1862, to Mattie H., daughter of James H. and Mary C. Davies of Georgetown, Ky. He removed to Jackson county, Mo., in 1868; was prosecuting attorney of the county, 1877-1881, and U.S. minister to Switzerland by appointment of President Cleveland, 1895-97. At the close of the service abroad he engaged in the practice of law in Kansas City, Mo.

PEALE, Charles Willson, artist, was born in Chestertovvn, Md., April 16, 1741 ; son of Charles Peale. He attended school in Annapolis, Md., 1750-54 ; was apprenticed to a saddler, and estab- lished himself in that business. His first attempt at painting was a likeness of himself, and his suc- cess led him to study under Hesselius, a German painter. He afterward studied under John Sin- gleton Copley in Boston, 1768-69, and in 1770-74 in London under Benjamin West, who painted his portrait. On his return he painted portraits in Annapolis, 1774-75, and in Philadelphia, 1775- 1827. Upon the outbreak of the Revolution he was appointed a lieutenant in a company of mili- tia, and was later commissioned a captain. He led his company at tlie battles of Trenton and Princeton, and was one of the men selected to remove the public stores from Philadelphia when that city was in danger of capture by the British. He was a representative in the state legislature in 1779, and advocated a plan for the gradual abolition of slavery. In 1802 he opened Peale's museum, where he exhibited natural curiosities which he had collected in his travels, and por- traits which he owned or borrowed. He also gave lectures at the museum on natural history, and practised dentistry. He was one of the founders of the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts, to which he contributed largely. His ver- satility is shown in the titles of his books, which include: Building Wooden Bridges; Discourse Introductory to a Course of Lectures on Natural History ; Epistles on the Means of Preserving Health, and Domestic Happiness. His fame as a portrait painter was national, Washington giving him sittings for fourteen portraits, one of which was painted for the College of New Jersey in 1780. Ainong his other portraits are those of Hancock, Morris, Steuben, Franklin, Greene, Gates, Jefferson, Hamilton, Monroe, Jackson, Calhoun and Clay. He also painted "Christ Healing the Sick," in 1829, and a full length portrait of himself in 1824, when eighty-three years of age. He left a collection of 269 portraits and historical scenes. His sons. Rembrandt (q.v.) and Raphaelle (1774-1825), were painters of portraits and of still life, and another son, Titian Ramsey (1800-1885), painted animal life, was a

learned ornithologist and accompanied Wilkes on his explorations, 1839-42. Charles W. Peale died in Philadelphia, Pa., Feb. 22, 1827.

PEALE, James, artist, was born in Annapolis, Md., in 1749 ; son of Charles Peale. He served in the Continental army as an officer during the Revolution, and later engaged in portrait paint- ing. He painted many miniatures, portraits in oil and figure compositions. His most noted works are, a full length portrait of Washington, which was hung in the New York Historical society and which has been engraved, and an- other portrait of Washington in 1795, which was hung in Independence Hall, Philadelphia. He also painted : Rencontre between Col. Allen McLane and Two British Horsemen (1811); View of the Battle of Princeton, and a Vieio of Belfleld Farm, near Germantown (1818). His son James (1779-1876) was a banker, but devoted his leisure to painting, producing several marine views. His daughter, Anna Clay Poole (1791-1878), was a still life and miniature painter, and married, first, the Rev. Dr. William Staughton, and secondly, Gen. William Duncan ; another daughter, Sarah M. (1800-85), painted portraits of Bainbridge, Lafayette, Caleb Cushing and Henry A. Wise, and still life subjects, James Peale died in Phil- adelphia, Pa., May 24, 1831.

PEALE, Rembrandt, artist, was born in Bucks county. Pa., Feb. 22, 1778 ; son of Charles Willson Peale (q.v.). He early developed artistic talent ; removed to Charleston, S.C., in 1796, and in 1801 studied painting in London under Benjamin West. He returned in 1803 on account of ill health, and immediately gained popularity in Philadelphia as a portrait painter. He visited Paris in 1807 and 1809 to study art in the Louvre, painting several portraits of distinguished French- men for his father's museum, and in 1810 again established himself in Philadelphia. He painted in New York, Boston and Baltimore, 1810-29 ; visited France and Italy, 1829-30, England in 1832, and in 1833 opened a studio in London and exhibited in the Royal academy. He was presi- dent of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences ; one of the founders of the Pennsyl- vania Academy of Fine Arts in 1805 ; an original member of the National Academy of Design. New York city, and upon his removal to Philadelphia was elected an honorary member in 1827. He was a skilful lithographer, being one of the first to draw on stone, and was awarded a silver medal by the Franklin Institute for a lithographic portrait of Washington in 1827. His most noted portrait was tliat of Washington, begun in 1795, completed in 1823. exhibited in Rome, Florence and London and finally purchased bj' the U.S. senate. Among his other portraits are : Baron Cuvier, Bernardin de Saint Pierre, Jean Antoine Houdon, Thomas