  About the Artwork
  
  
  In this affectionate portrait, Charles Willson Peale represents his younger brother, James Peale, as a man of virtue who had accepted and fulfilled his responsibilities as an individual, a parent, and a citizen. On the table to James’s left, the paintbrush and small palette symbolize his career as a successful artist. The portrait miniature he holds was painted by his daughter Anna Claypoole Peale, who was one of the first two women admitted to the prestigious Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts in Philadelphia. Anna’s miniature suggests his success as a parent who raised his child to be a productive member of society. The medal hanging on a blue ribbon on his jacket identifies him as a member of the Society of the Cincinnati. Named in honor of the Roman General Lucius Quinctius Cincinnatus, the organization included men who had served their country during the American Revolution as officers in the Continental Army.
  
  
  Title
  James Peale
  
  
  Artwork Date
  1822
  
  Artist
  Charles Willson Peale
  
  
  
  Life Dates
  1741-1827
  
  
  
  
  Nationality
  
  
  
  Please note:
  Definitions for nationality may vary significantly, depending on chronology and world events.
  Some definitions include:
  Belonging to a people having a common origin based on a geography and/or descent and/or tradition and/or culture and/or religion and/or language, or sharing membership in a legally defined nation.
  
  
  
  American
  
  
  
  Culture
  
  
  
  Please note:
  Cultures may be defined by the language, customs, religious beliefs, social norms, and material traits of a group.
  
  
  
  
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  Medium
  Oil on canvas
  
  
  Dimensions
  Unframed: 24 1/2 × 36 inches (62.2 × 91.4 cm)
  Framed: 35 1/8 × 43 7/8 × 4 inches (89.2 × 111.4 × 10.2 cm)
  
  
  Classification
  Paintings
  
  
  Department
  American Art before 1950
  
  
  Credit
  Founders Society Purchase with funds from Dexter M. Ferry, Jr.
  
  
  
  Accession Number
  
  
  
  This unique number is assigned to an individual artwork as part of the cataloguing process at the time of entry into the permanent collection.
  Most frequently, accession numbers begin with the year in which the artwork entered the museum’s holdings.
  For example, 2008.3 refers to the year of acquisition and notes that it was the 3rd of that year. The DIA has a few additional systems—no longer assigned—that identify specific donors or museum patronage groups.
  
  
  
  50.58
  
  
  Copyright
  Public Domain
