Description: Peale family papers

Peale family papers

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Bibliographic Details
Main Author:	Peale family (Creator)
Collection:	Peale Family Papers
Collection Number:	0481
Format:	Manuscript
Language:	English
Subjects:	Peale, Charles Willson > 1741-1827. Peale, Rembrandt > 1778-1860. Peale, Titian Ramsay > 1799-1885. Philadelphia Museum Company Philadelphia Museum Art and Artists > Pennsylvania > Philadelphia > 19th Century. Artists > Correspondence. Museums > Philadelphia > 19th century. Naturalists > United States > Correspondence. Ornithology > 19th century. United States Exploring Expedition (1838-1842).
Online Access:	Link to finding aid

Physical Description:	1.2 Linear feet ; 2 boxes, 7 volumes, 1 flat file
Summary:	Charles Willson Peale (1741-1827) was a well-known Philadelphia artist, educator, and polymath in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. He is best known for his portraits of George Washington and other revolutionary figures, and for establishing the Philadelphia Museum, a natural history and art museum. He outlived three wives and many of his children. Several of his sons followed in their father’s footsteps, becoming artists and scientists and taking various roles in the family’s museum. Rembrandt Peale (1778-1860) was a respected portrait artist, best known for his “Porthole Portrait” of George Washington. Titian Ramsay Peale (1799-1885), the youngest of Peale’s sons, was a scientific illustrator, naturalist, and explorer who participated in many expeditions, including the U. S. Exploring Expedition of 1838-1842. Established in 1786, the Philadelphia museum displayed portraits and exhibits related to science and natural history, including a mastodon skeleton. The museum flourished for decades, but eventually succumbed to financial difficulties in 1845. The Peale family papers relate mainly to the Philadelphia Museum (Peale's Museum), and include: Charles Willson Peale’s manuscript of "A Walk Through the Philadelphia Museum;" records of subscriptions for tickets in Peale's Museum, 1794-1833; records of accessions and memoranda of the Philadelphia Museum, 1803-1842; minutes of the Philadelphia Museum, 1841-1845; and a rough minute book of the Philadelphia Museum, 1841-1845. Personal documents are present in limited quantities. These include extracts of letters from Charles Willson Peale, 1821-1823; copies of letters from Rembrandt Peale to his wife, 1830; letters to Titian R. Peale from naturalist George Ord, 1827-1854; Titian R. Peale’s catalog of birds and specimens collected in the United States Exploring Expedition, 1838-1841; and a volume of sketches by Titian R. Peale. Materials related to the Philadelphia Museum (Peale’s Museum) make up the bulk of this small collection. There is a small amount of correspondence and other personal papers from Charles Willson Peale and two of his sons, Rembrandt Peale and Titian R. Peale. The museum papers include: Charles Willson Peale’s manuscript of "A Walk Through the Philadelphia Museum;" records of subscriptions for tickets in Peale's Museum, 1794-1833; records of accessions and memoranda of the Philadelphia Museum, 1803-1842; minutes of the Philadelphia Museum, 1841-1845; and a rough minute book of the Philadelphia Museum, 1841-1845. Personal documents in the collection include extracts of letters from Charles Willson Peale, 1821-1823; copies of letters from Rembrandt Peale to his wife, 1830; letters to Titian R. Peale from naturalist George Ord, 1827-1854; Titian R. Peale’s catalog of birds and specimens collected in the United States Exploring Expedition, 1838-1841; and a volume of sketches Titian R. Peale.

Physical Description:

1.2 Linear feet ; 2 boxes, 7 volumes, 1 flat file

Summary:

Charles Willson Peale (1741-1827) was a well-known Philadelphia artist, educator, and polymath in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. He is best known for his portraits of George Washington and other revolutionary figures, and for establishing the Philadelphia Museum, a natural history and art museum. He outlived three wives and many of his children. Several of his sons followed in their father’s footsteps, becoming artists and scientists and taking various roles in the family’s museum. Rembrandt Peale (1778-1860) was a respected portrait artist, best known for his “Porthole Portrait” of George Washington. Titian Ramsay Peale (1799-1885), the youngest of Peale’s sons, was a scientific illustrator, naturalist, and explorer who participated in many expeditions, including the U. S. Exploring Expedition of 1838-1842. Established in 1786, the Philadelphia museum displayed portraits and exhibits related to science and natural history, including a mastodon skeleton. The museum flourished for decades, but eventually succumbed to financial difficulties in 1845. The Peale family papers relate mainly to the Philadelphia Museum (Peale's Museum), and include: Charles Willson Peale’s manuscript of "A Walk Through the Philadelphia Museum;" records of subscriptions for tickets in Peale's Museum, 1794-1833; records of accessions and memoranda of the Philadelphia Museum, 1803-1842; minutes of the Philadelphia Museum, 1841-1845; and a rough minute book of the Philadelphia Museum, 1841-1845. Personal documents are present in limited quantities. These include extracts of letters from Charles Willson Peale, 1821-1823; copies of letters from Rembrandt Peale to his wife, 1830; letters to Titian R. Peale from naturalist George Ord, 1827-1854; Titian R. Peale’s catalog of birds and specimens collected in the United States Exploring Expedition, 1838-1841; and a volume of sketches by Titian R. Peale.
Materials related to the Philadelphia Museum (Peale’s Museum) make up the bulk of this small collection. There is a small amount of correspondence and other personal papers from Charles Willson Peale and two of his sons, Rembrandt Peale and Titian R. Peale. The museum papers include: Charles Willson Peale’s manuscript of "A Walk Through the Philadelphia Museum;" records of subscriptions for tickets in Peale's Museum, 1794-1833; records of accessions and memoranda of the Philadelphia Museum, 1803-1842; minutes of the Philadelphia Museum, 1841-1845; and a rough minute book of the Philadelphia Museum, 1841-1845. Personal documents in the collection include extracts of letters from Charles Willson Peale, 1821-1823; copies of letters from Rembrandt Peale to his wife, 1830; letters to Titian R. Peale from naturalist George Ord, 1827-1854; Titian R. Peale’s catalog of birds and specimens collected in the United States Exploring Expedition, 1838-1841; and a volume of sketches Titian R. Peale.

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Peale family papers

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