Profile of the Day: Rembrandt Peale

Rembrandt Peale

On this day in 1860, American artist Rembrandt Peale died at the age of 82. A prolific portrait painter, Peale was especially known for his realistic portraits of presidents George Washington and Thomas Jefferson.

Peale was born on February 22, 1778 in Bucks County, Pennsylvania to Rachel Brewer and Charles Wilson Peale. His father was a notable artist best known for his portraits of leading figures of the American Revolution. The elder Peale named several of his children after famous artists and many of them would become notable painters themselves. Peale was named after the 17th century Dutch painter, Rembrandt van Rijn.

Following in his father’s footsteps, Peale painted his first self portrait at the age of 13. In 1795, Peale had the opportunity to paint a life portrait of George Washington. He would later go on to create over 70 portraits of Washington. Peale became well-known for his portraits of notable figures, including Thomas Jefferson, whose portrait painting is considered to be Peale’s masterpiece and the best existing portrait of Jefferson.

Peale died on October 3, 1860 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

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Image: Library of Congress