When Maryland artist Charles Willson Peale settled in Philadelphia in 1776 with his wife and two young children, he continued to paint portraits, including miniatures of American army officers that he made while serving during the Revolution, and large canvases of political and military leaders, including George Washington. He displayed a collection of the larger portraits in a gallery at his home, which opened to the public in 1782. This self-portrait is similar in size to most of the museum portraits and may have been painted at the time of his marriage in 1791 to his second wife, Elizabeth DePeyster. By then Peale was gradually becoming full-time administrator of his museum, with its growing collections of natural history specimens and paintings. The museum moved from his home to Philosophical Hall, Philadelphia, in 1794.

Self-portrait
Oil on canvas, circa 1791
National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution
NPG.89.205

Enlarged image

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