Mary Chambers Peale

Mary married limner and former Revolutionary War army officer, James Peale (brother of Charles Wilson Peale), and was mother to Jane Ramsey Peale, Anna Claypoole Peale, Margaretta Angelika Peale, Sarah Miriam Peale and James Peale Jr..

'A short account of the Malignant Fever, lately prevalent in Philadelphia ................' - a pamphlet by Mathew Carey, published Nov. 1793. "James Peale's 2 children"

"Mary Chambers Claypoole and James Peale were wed on 14 November 1782. The life of an artist was familiar to Mary, as she was the daughter of James Claypoole (1720-1796 'sic' - (note: incorrect, as James Claypoole Sr. died 21 Sep. 1784, at Philadelphia) one of the first native painters in colonial Philadelphia. Born on 27 July 1753, she was named for her mother, Mary Chambers. The Claypooles had deep roots in the city. Young Mary's paternal great-grandfather, a wealthy merchant and a friend of William Penn, had been register general of the colony of Pennsylvania. Her grandfather served as the first warden of Christ Church and owned extensive Philadelphia real estate. During the Revolution, James Claypoole surrendered the brush to assume the office of high sherriff(sic). Gleanings from her husband's biography provide what little we know of Mary Peale's life. Traditionally, James Peale is granted sole credit for the couple's extraordinary family. But Mary must have been remarkable to have raised three women who became professional painters and another who taught music.. Their son James Jr., too, at first took up painting but instead became a banker. At any given time, their bustling home provided sanctuary for several adult children and ofttimes their granddaughter, the miniaturist Mary Jane Simes (q.v.). Mary Peale died on 11 January 1829 after almost forty-seven years of marriage. Her husband outlived her by less than two years.........." From an essay 'The Art of Ornamental Hairwork' by Cynthia Amnéus, page 67; in 'Perfect Likeness - European and American Portrait Miniatures from the Cincinatti Art Museum' 2006, by Julie Aronson and Marjorie E. Wieseman. (2007 note: Cynthia Amnéus has served as the associate curator of costume and textiles at the Cincinnati Art Museum since 1998. Dr. Julie Aronson has served as curator of American painting and sculpture at the Cincinnati Art Museum since 1999.)