Background
Polk was born in Annapolis, Maryland, to Elizabeth Digby Peale and Robert Polk.
Polk was born in Annapolis, Maryland, to Elizabeth Digby Peale and Robert Polk.
By the time he was in his twenties, Polk was advertising himself as a portrait artist in Baltimore newspapers. He was apparently not at all successful since he returned to Philadelphia within a matter of a couple years, advertising his services as a house and sign painter. But he continued his artistic pursuits, and by 1800 he had opened exhibitions in Baltimore.
In 1800, he held government office in Washington, District of Columbia at the National Gallery of Artist