Rembrandt Peale
Rembrandt Peale was the son of Philadelphia artist and museum proprietor Charles Willson Peale. The Peale children were encouraged to be artists: Rembrandt's siblings were named Rubens, Raphaelle, Titian Ramsay, Sofonisba Anguissola, and Angelica Kauffmann. He began painting at thirteen, and he continued to work prolifically for the next seventy years. Rembrandt also assisted in the management of the family enterprise: from 1813 to 1822 he established and managed the Peale Museum in Baltimore.
Can a copy be original?
The original version of this portrait of George Washington was purchased by Congress in 1832. Like other posthumous portraits of America’s founding fathers, this work both reflected and shaped the cultural forces that transformed Washington into a shared symbol of national identity and unity. Peale’s numerous replicas of this portrait helped to promote America’s ideal of democracy as its true religion—and Washington as its patron saint.
Gift of Mrs. Charles Janin in memory of the James Hoge Latham Family
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