Charles Wilson Peale

Charles Willson Peale is best remembered for his portraits of eminent Americans. When he was in his forties, after painting hundreds of portraits of politicians, scientists, and business leaders, Peale established a museum of art and natural history for the American people. The Philadelphia Museum became the first important museum in America. In addition to portraits and natural specimens, the museum featured a complete mastodon skeleton—Peale had directed the dig in New York in 1801.