Becca Drustrup
MST 500
Final Project: Charles Willson Peale
Introduction/ Overview
Charles Willson Peale is considered the founding father of both American painting and
American museums. In the art world, he is most known for his portrait paintings of leading
figures of the American Revolution, as well as establishing one of the first American museums.
During his career, Peale painted portraits of numerous historic figures, such as James Varnum,
Benjamin Franklin, John Hancock, Thomas Jefferson, and Alexander Hamilton. However, he is
probably best known for his portraits of George Washington, producing almost 60 in total.
Within the museum field, Peale created naturalistic environments and painted backdrops
for his taxidermy with the aims to create a pleasing view and to capture the character of the
living animal in its habitat. Peale also developed his own methods of taxidermy, due to his
superior work in handling leather as a saddle-maker (Poliquin, 2012).
Where his museum was concerned, Peale was not a businessman but a student of nature
and a universal scholar. From as early as 1792, Peale attempted, without success, to gain
institutional support for the acquisition, design and preservation of museum collections.
“Although city, state and national governments refused to assume ultimate responsibility for the
museum, Peale's Museum became the unofficial repository for the collections of the Lewis and
Clark, Pike and Long expeditions” (Schofield, 1989).
By wanting to assist in furthering scientific research, Peale would provide other
naturalists and artists with specimens from his collection to study and draw. He saw science and
education as disciplines everyone should have the opportunity to learn. Regarding his own
motivations, Peale once said that “the gratification which every new object produced in the mind
of an enthusiastic man is all powerful” (Shapiro & Kemp, 1990). In an admissions ticket to
Peale’s museum in 1826 reads “The Birds and Beasts will teach thee!” (Shapiro & Kemp, 1990).
Also on the ticket is nature symbolized by an open book, which guarantees secrets to be revealed
by visiting the museum and viewing its contents.
Purpose & Project Design
In this paper I wanted to understand the type of person Charles Willson Peale was,
including what he did in life. I knew that he was an artist and also started his own museum, but I
wanted to know more. I wanted to research the improvements he made within the museum, then
see if these improvements were still being used in museums today. In writing the paper, I wanted
to look at Peale almost as if I were conducting a character study. I wanted to explore important
events in his life, while observing his demeanor. My purpose was not to look at his behaviors
from a psychological viewpoint, but more in a way of learning his character. As part of the inclass activity of the presentation I wanted to introduce a self-portrait of Peale and have the class
look for symbols that represent Peale and his work. Since the painting was created by Peale and
he includes accomplishments he is proud of, it will give the class an opportunity to reflect on
Peale and how influential he was in the progression of museums.
Charles Willson Peale Biography
Charles Willson Peale was born on April 15, 1741 in Queen Annes, Maryland. Charles
became an apprentice to a saddle maker in Annapolis when he was twelve years old. Struggling
to support his family as a saddler, he added upholstery, harness making, and then watch and
clock repair to his business (American Philosophical Society, 1980). He also began to paint and
studied under John Hesselius and John Singleton Copley. After several years, Peale began to be
recognized as a proficient artist and was given money to study with Benjamin West in London
for two years. After his return to the United States, Peale’s work was well-liked and he was
commissioned to paint portraits of prominent figures, such as George Washington.
Peale was also an active supporter of the Revolution; he became a soldier for the
Philadelphia militia where he fought in the Battles of Trenton and Princeton. While serving, he
painted several officers and sometimes their wives. Peale also was a member of a Committee of
Correspondence, the “Constitutional Society,” and the General Assembly of Pennsylvania
(American Philosophical Society, 1980).
Peale was a man of many talents and hobbies and loved to explore new ventures. In 1782
Peale began to exhibit his art in a gallery in his home. He then opened a “Repository for Natural
Curiosities,” a science museum that included displays of natural history objects next to his
portraits of notable Americans. Peale’s Museum moved into the American Philosophical
Society’s building, Philosophical Hall in 1795. There he served as the Society’s curator from
1788 to 1810.
The museum displayed a collection of natural history objects that were arranged in
Linnaean taxonomy, a Swedish botanist that was admired by Peale. The collection grew to
include a variety of animals and objects such as birds, insects, amphibian animals, fossils,
minerals and stones. Peale prepared many of the animals in the exhibition as well as painting the
backgrounds of the displays to represent a more natural habitat, a concept he created. In 1801,
with assistance from the American Philosophical Society and President Thomas Jefferson, Peale
organized an expedition to exhume the bones of a mastodon that was located in upstate New
York. The remains were transported to Philadelphia and mounted in the museum (Ruland).
In 1810 Peale retired to a farm in Germantown, Pennsylvania. There he spent his time on
technical experiments and gardening. In 1822, Peale finished a self portrait, which has become
one of his most famous works of art. At the age of 82, the painting only took him several months
to complete. The painting depicts an image of himself in his museum in the Long Room, and is a
representation of him as an artist, museum director, naturalist and educator. Just a few months
before the museum was scheduled to move into a larger area, Charles Willson Peale died in
Philadelphia on February 22, 1827.
Over the course of his life, Charles Willson Peale had been married three times, to Rachel
Brewster, Elizabeth de Peyster, and Hannah More. He had eighteen children, eleven children
reached adulthood. Three of his sons became artists: Raphaelle Peale, Rembrandt Peale, and
Rubens Peale. Two other sons became naturalists: Titian Ramsay Peale and Benjamin Franklin
Peale (American Philosophical Society, 1980).
Peale and His Collection
In 1802, Peale expanded his collection into the 100-foot Long Room of the Independence
Hall. Peale believed this space was the best place for the United States to open its first “great
national museum” (Finkel, 2011). Opposite the windows in the Long Room, four rows of cases
were stacked with more than 1,000 birds. Above the cases, stretched a long double row of
portraits Peale had painted of famous scientists, explorers and revolutionary heroes. Opposite the
wall of birds and portraits were thousands of fossils, shells, rocks, minerals and insects, coins
and curiosities. Microscopes were provided for the specimens too small to see with the naked
eye. Also in the museum, Peale included the Marine Room, which housed two huge Chama
shells, a hammerhead shark, other fish, corals, sponges, amphibia and snakes, both alive and
preserved.
Peale’s New Techniques
Peale invented new techniques to preserve and display his specimens in the museum. To
give the specimens a more life-like appearance, Peale insect-proofed the skins by immersing
them in arsenic and hot water and wrapped them around anatomically correct wooden forms
(ExplorePAhistory.com, 2011). He took great care in the handling and preparation of the
animals, possibly due to his work with leather as a saddle-maker. “Often he hand-carved the
internal limbs for these mounts and even molded the glass eyes” (Shapiro & Kemp, 2011). About
fifty of Peale’s mounted birds exist today and are still on display at the Museum of Comparative
Zoology in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
Peale placed rocks and vegetation in the display cases to create a more realistic
environment of the specimens (ExplorePAhistory.com, 2011). Peale, with the help of his three
sons, painted the backgrounds of each case as a representation of the specimen’s natural habitat.
Peale admired the work of Carolus Linnaeus, a Swedish botanist. To create a more educational
aspect of the museum, the displays were then arranged by genus and species according to the
principles of the Linnaean systematic classification. The classification Peale used assisted in
setting his museum apart from competing museums, in that his specimens were not mysterious
oddities but objects of nature.
Are Peale’s Methods Still Used Today?
“Peale envisioned his museum as not only educational, but also a morally uplifting
alternative to raucous leisure spaces such as dancing and drinking halls” (Poliquin, 2012). He
believed that the museum was a place of rational amusement, of both instruction and
entertainment. Peale’s concepts of rational amusement and dioramas have been seen as
foundations to the construction and arrangement of all natural history museums, and taxidermy
has been a fundamental tool in their public education programs. Taxidermy has made theories of
systematic classification, evolution, and ecology visually interesting and engaging.
Habitat dioramas are museum exhibits of stuffed animals set in an imitation of their
natural environment. Habitat dioramas give people a chance to view a representation of an
animal’s habitat, without having to travel all over the world. Habitat dioramas realistically
recreate environment of the specimen and display various regions of the world. These dioramas
have been highly popular in museum displays, as it allows visitor to view the specimen not as a
separate species, but as a part of a more diverse world.
In modern practices of taxidermy, arsenic is no longer used in preservation of specimens.
Methods have improved but the main concepts are still used: in skinning animals, preserving
chemicals are applied or the skin is tanned. The specimen is then mounted on a mannequin made
from wood, wool and wire, or a polyurethane form.
The Artist in His Museum
In the painting, Peale explores various aspects of his life: his work as an artist, naturalist,
educator and museum director. It shows the artist holding a curtain that separates him from his
museum in the Long Room. Peale plays with the convention of grand manner portraiture, where
the curtain is included as part of the background of the scene. In grand manner, the subjects do
not acknowledge the presence of the curtain. Peale not only knows it is there but pulls back the
curtain for the viewer. He also chooses to include the skeleton of the mastodon which is evidence
of Peale’s interest in science and nature.
There is more to the story of the mastodon excavation than just furthering science. Before
the American Revolution, George Louis LeClerc de Buffon, a French natural historian, believed
that “the environment in North America was so impoverished relative to that of the Old World
that it could support only a weak and degenerate fauna” (American Philosophical Society, 2006).
Peale displayed the mastodon in his museum to counter Buffon’s beliefs. As a native-born
American and promoter of the republic, Peale wanted to prove Buffon and similar theories
wrong.
Looking back at the painting, Peale chooses to include a stuffed turkey with his
taxidermy tools. The incorporation of these objects demonstrates his mastery and skill of the
craft. Peale also includes his painting palette and his brushes, symbolizing his greatness as the
father of American portraiture. These objects become symbols of his hard work and dedication to
the many crafts he worked. By pulling aside the curtain, he is not only showing the viewer his
museum, but boasting of his many talents.
Charles Willson Peale: The Artist in His Museum, 1822
Review of Literature
Much is known about the life and work of Charles Willson Peale, due to research that has
been written about Peale and his family. It is important to examine these sources as they have
been helpful in the creation of this research paper. The main source I used for Peale’s biography
was the American Philosophical Society’s online collection of the Peale-Sellers Family papers.
The collection represents the interests and careers of the Peale-Sellers family from the 1670s to
1960s. The papers detailed much of Peale’s interests, which gave me more insight on who he
was. The papers also included dates and lengthy descriptions of events in his life, where I was
able to create a more detailed timeline of his life. I found this collection of papers to be
impressive due to its entirety of seven series, divided into 147 volumes. I looked through many
of the files, but only covered a small fraction of the whole collection. Using this information, I
became confident that I would be able to include a long, but thorough biography of Charles
Willson Peale in my paper.
Another source I used for more life history of Peale was Jim Ruland’s biography of
Peale. Where it was not as long and detailed as the Peale-Sellers papers were, I was able to add a
couple more facts about Peale. I also used Ruland’s biography as a confirmation of the events
and dates that had been included in the Peale-Sellers papers.
I looked at Ken Finkel’s blog to learn more information about the Long Room where
Peale’s museum was located in Philosophical Hall. I wanted to include a description of the Long
Room and its collection in the paper to explore the museum side of Charles Willson Peale. By
knowing what he had in his collection and how he arranged it, I began to understand Peale and
his fascination with nature. Finkel also included a description of Peale’s self-portrait entitled The
Artist in His Museum, which led to my decision of examining the painting as part of my in-class
activity in the presentation.
I included Robert Schofield’s article of Peale to examine how he ran his museum. I
thought that it was important in understanding Peale not as a businessman, but as a naturalist and
educator. When Peale attempted to gain institutional support, he showed that he cared and
believed in his museum. Schofield’s description of Peale demonstrated that he was a man who
was more interested in the furthering of science and education than about making money. After I
read more about Peale and his dedication to his museum, I began to admire him even more.
ExplorePAhistory.com is a great interactive website that allows viewers to explore the
Charles Willson Peale Museum. Inside the museum the viewer can click on various items in the
museum, such as the display cases or a stuffed animal to learn more about his methods. The
section about Peale’s taxidermy was helpful because it included the process he used in preparing
an animal for display. In earlier sources I was told he had created a new taxidermic process, but
none described it. I also liked knowing Peale’s process so then I could compare it to modern
taxidermy practices.
In her website titled Ravishing Beasts: Taxidermy, Rachel Poliquin explores taxidermy,
most importantly Peale’s methods of taxidermy, in Natural History Museums. Poliquin describes
the new techniques Peale created, as well as mentions Peale’s vision for his museum. Poliquin
introduces the term “rational amusement,” and applies it to Peale’s methods. I thought that this
source was beneficial to not only learn about Peale’s work with taxidermy, but understand the
rationale behind his creation of the museum. I also found information about habitat dioramas,
which are modern-day versions of Peale’s display cases.
In the book The Museum: A Reference Guide by Michael Shapiro and Louis Kemp, I
found yet another biography of Peale and his interests. They mentioned how motivated Peale
was to create a national institution, even though it was never possible. I also found more
information of Peale’s techniques in taxidermy, which included him taking the time to mold the
glass eyes for the specimens. It was important to Peale for the animals to appear life-like, not
only to prove he had a skill with taxidermy, but to instill interest in its viewers.
I used Charles Bryant’s article “How Taxidermy Works” to find current methods used in
taxidermy. The article included the history of taxidermy, with a look at modern methods and
animals that are typically mounted today. There I learned that the process of taxidermy was in
effect until the 1970s. So even though Peale’s methods with arsenic are no longer used, some of
his ideas are still incorporated in preserving animals. The article did not focus much on the
history of taxidermy, nor did it mention Peale. However, I chose to incorporate its information
into the paper because it was still relevant to my questions of research.
I took an American Art History course at Iowa State University in the spring of 2011.
Charles Willson Peale was one of the artists I learned about in that course, which was taught by
Emily Morgan. After viewing and studying Peale’s self-portrait, I became intrigued in his style
and demeanor. The book we used in the course was Framing America by Frances Pohl. In the
book Pohl describes a brief biography of Peale’s life, focusing on his experience as an artist. As
part of my in-class activity I used the book as well as class notes I had taken during Morgan’s
course. These notes also described Peale’s work, especially the self-portrait. I used my notes to
describe the symbols and meanings Peale included in the painting. I was pleased that I was able
to include the painting and my art history background within my project, as well as use my
material from a previous class.
I used the American Philosophical Society’s article about the excavation of the mastodon
to expand on the reason Peale was involved with the project. He not only believed in the further
of science, but in providing European theorists with evidence that proves America is a land of
extraordinary scientific findings and curiosities. I enjoyed reading about Peale’s motivation to
the excavation and the excitement it instilled in him. I also liked how scientific findings can not
only encourage an interest in science, but an opportunity for debate. Both Peale and Thomas
Jefferson believed that America was capable of a greater biodiversity, and sought to prove their
theories right.
Conclusion
By completing this character study project, I have learned much about Charles Willson
Peale. I knew that he was a man of many talents, especially artistry and museum work. With help
from his friends and family, Peale created one of the first successful museums in America. Not
only was he a man devoted to his interests, but also his family. He was a loving father, who
shared his passions with his children, in hopes that they in turn find something they are
passionate about.
Not only did Peale develop new techniques in displays and taxidermy, but he also made
museums a place of wonderment and amusement. He displayed passion by devoting decades to
his museum. The dedication and effort he put into his museum shows he believed he was making
a difference, in society and in the museum field. Even though Peale had his sons take over the
running of the museum, it eventually went bankrupt and closed shortly after his death. The fact
that the museum could not survive without Peale is a testament to his dedication and love of his
museum.
Bibliography
American Philosophical Society. (1980). Peale-sellers family collection, 1686-1963.
http://amphilsoc.org/mole/view?docId=ead/Mss.B.P31-ead.xml\
American Philosophical Society. (2006). Peale’s mastodon.
http://www.amphilsoc.org/exhibits/treasures/mastodon.htm
Bryant, C. W. (2008). How taxidermy works.
http://adventure.howstuffworks.com/outdoor-activities/hunting/gamehandling/taxidermy6.htm
ExplorePAhistory.com. (2011). Peale’s turkey.
http://explorepahistory.com/displayinteractive.php?interId=1-10-6
Finkel, K. (2011). Short shrift for the long room at independence hall.
http://www.phillyhistory.org/blog/index.php/2011/10/short-shrift-for-the-long-room-atindependence-hall/
Morgan, E. (2011). Samuel Morse and Charles Willson Peale. Notes from American Art History
class lecture, February 1.
Pohl, F. K. (2002). Framing america: A social history of american art. New York, N.Y: Thames
& Hudson. Print.
Poliquin, R. (2012). Natural history museums. Retrieved from
http://www.ravishingbeasts.com/natural-history-museums/
Ruland, J. (n.d.). Charles wilson peale.
http://pabook.libraries.psu.edu/palitmap/bios/Peale__Charles_Willson.html
Shapiro, M., & Kemp, L. (1990). The museum: A reference guide. British Library Cataloguing.
http://books.google.com/books?id=S-
Schofield, R. E. (1989). Charles willson peale and his philadelphia museum, 1784-1827.
https://journals.ku.edu/index.php/amerstud/article/viewFile/2470/2429.