Anna Claypoole Peale

Anna Claypoole Peale (March 6, 1791 – December 25, 1878) was an American painter who specialized in portrait miniatures on ivory and still lifes.

An American painter of miniatures who, like her sister Sarah, became a portraitist and one of the first female professional artists in the United States. Peale came from an artistic legacy: her father, James Peale, was a painter remembered for his still lifes, and her uncle Charles Willson Peale was a well-known portraitist and museum entrepreneur. She sold her first paintings (copies) at age 14, and in 1811 she exhibited a still life of fruit at the first exhibition of the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, Philadelphia. Three years later she showed a group of three miniatures there. In 1818–19 she traveled to Washington, D.C., to enter the studio of her uncle Charles and won his highest praise for her miniature portraits on ivory. Her sympathetic portraits, heightened by contrasting backgrounds and a remarkable attention to detail, brought her more commissions than she could comfortably handle. Among her subjects were prominent statesmen of the new republic, including James Monroe, Andrew Jackson, Henry Clay, and William Bainbridge. In 1824 she was elected to the Pennsylvania Academy, where she continued to exhibit regularly until 1842. She married in 1829 but was a widow within a few brief months. She retired from painting in 1841, following her second marriage, to Gen. William Duncan. Copyright © 1994-2010 Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. For more information visit Britannica.com

Anna Claypoole Peale (March 6, 1791, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania – December 25, 1878, Philadelphia) was an American painter, specializing in portrait miniatures and still lifes. Contents [hide] 1 Career 2 Family 3 Death 4 Awards 5 References 6 External links Career[edit] In 1805, she sold her first paintings.[1] She specialized in miniature portraits. She exhibited at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts, submitting a still life in 1811, and three miniatures in 1814.[2] In 1818, she traveled to Washington, D.C. with her uncle, Charles Willson Peale.[3] Charles Willson Peale said: Her merit in miniature painting brings her into high estimation, and so many Ladies and Gentleman desire to sit for her that she frequently is obliged to raise her prices.[4] Family[edit] She was the daughter (one of six children) of Mary Chambers Claypoole (1753–1829) and painter James Peale (under whom she studied). She was the sister of Sarah Miriam Peale, Maria Peale, and Margaretta Peale, and the niece of Charles Willson Peale, all of whom were artists. In 1829, she married William Staughton, on August 27, 1829, who died in December 1829, in Washington, D.C.[5] She returned to Philadelphia to continue her portrait studio.[2] In 1841, she married General William Duncan.[4] Death[edit]

Anna Claypoole Peale (1791-1878) was the first professional woman from her family of artists. She learned to draw and paint from her father, miniature portrait painter James Peale. Other artists in her family included her uncle Charles Willson Peale, cousins Rembrandt and Raphaelle Peale, and younger sisters Margaretta Angelica and Sarah Miriam Peale. Despite her influential family, it was Anna Claypoole's ambition and courage that led her to be a successful artist capable of financially supporting herself and her parents.

Peale sold her first paintings at age fourteen when she copied two works by French painter Claude-Joseph Vernet and submitted them to an auction. Around age sixteen she was apprenticed to her father and worked on the background and clothing details of his portraits. During Peale's time, women in her class were expected to remain at home and value privacy. However, anonymity was not an option for a portrait painter, and Peale advertised her name and address in exhibition catalogues. In 1811 she exhibited a still life at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine art, and three years later she exhibited a group of three miniatures. Peale decided to specialize in painting miniatures, and by age twenty-six she was fulfilling numerous commissions from citizens of Philadelphia.

During her thirty year career, Peale traveled to Boston, Baltimore and New York to paint portraits. She also visited Washington D.C. with her uncle Charles Willson Peale for several months in 1818 and 1819. While in Washington, the two artists painted many important figures including President Monroe and General Andrew Jackson. In addition to many hours in the studio, their social engagements included breakfast with the president and receptions at the White House.

In 1829, Peale married Reverend William Staughton, moved away from Philadelphia and planned to give up painting. However, her husband died just a few months after the wedding. Peale soon returned to Philadelphia and to an active period of portrait painting. After her second marriage to Brigadier General William Duncan she stopped painting miniatures. Scholars believe she may have continued to make still life paintings, but little is known of these works.

Although her career was interrupted for marriage, Peale completed more than two hundred portraits. She developed her own style often painting with dark rich colors. Her portraits were praised for their accuracy, warmth and liveliness. She earned the respect of Charles Willson Peale who said that his niece attracted more commissions than he did. He also observed that she was required to raise her prices due to overwhelming demand. At times she had so much work to complete she suffered from inflamed eyes and fatigue. The portrait miniature declined in popularity around the same time as Anna Claypoole's career was ending, but she continues to be regarded as one of the leading miniaturists in the United States.

You can view portrait miniatures by Anna Claypoole and other Peale family members in the American Art Museum's Luce Foundation Center. Be sure to look for the portrait miniature by Claypoole's niece and student, Mary Anne Simes.

To read more about Anna Claypoole Peale and the Peale family look for the following book at a library or bookstore: Lillian B. Miller's The Peale Family: Creation of a Legacy 1770-1870

References

• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anna_Claypoole_Peale
• http://bjws.blogspot.com/2012/11/american-artist-anna-claypoole-pea...
• http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=10166045
• http://www.womenhistoryblog.com/2012/05/anna-claypoole-peale.html
• http://eyelevel.si.edu/2013/03/q-and-art-anna-claypoole-peale.html