Raphael Peale was born on February 17, 1774 in Annapolis, Anne Arundel County, Maryland, United States. He was the eldest child of Charles Willson Peale and his first wife, Rachel Brewer of Annapolis. He preferred to spell his name Raphaelle. When he was two years old the family settled in Philadelphia where the boy was to have many advantages.
Raphael Peale became his father's pupil and when he was twenty-one painted a water-color profile of Washington.
Although not so talented as his younger brother Rembrandt, Raphael Peale achieved some success as a miniature painter and after 1815 was favorably known for his still-life pieces. He worked in several mediums: oils and water color on ivory, paper, and vellum. He also used the physionotrace. He always made his home in Philadelphia, although he painted in many of the chief cities of the country. By 1799 he had established himself as a professional miniature painter. At several times during his career he cooperated with his brother Rembrandt in various undertakings. From 1790 to 1799 they were working together in Baltimore attempting to establish a portrait gallery of distinguished persons.
In 1803 Raphael Peale painted in Norfolk and the following year with Rembrandt visited Savannah, Charleston, Baltimore, and Boston. Between 1804 and 1811 Raphael Peale's prices for portraits are said to have declined from fifty to fifteen dollars. For miniatures on ivory and vellum and for profiles his charges also decreased materially. After 1815 when his health began to fail he devoted himself almost entirely to still-life subjects such as fruit, game, and fish. He sometimes signed his miniatures "R. P. ," which perhaps accounts for the one-time confusion of his work with that of Rembrandt Peale. He also signed himself "Rap. Peale, " "Raphe. Peale, " or in full, "Raphael Peale. " Occasionally there was no signature.
Representative examples of Raphael Peale's miniature portraits are those of Doyle Sweeney, Abiah Brown, and Maj. -Gen. Thomas Acheson, all privately owned. Not more than a dozen miniatures by him are known. Several examples of his still-life paintings are owned by the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts. His style in miniature painting faintly resembles that of James Peale. He has, however, several distinguishing characteristics of technique such as modeling the features in blue hatching with very little flesh color added. Usually he painted the costume in solid gouache, displaying little variety or interest in color. The backgrounds are light and clear, sometimes painted in delicate cloudlike forms. The drawing is not uniformly skilful but his style was sufficiently personal to permit identification of unsigned pieces. He is said to have been successful in obtaining likenesses.
After a lingering illness Raphael Peale died in his fifty-third year on March 4, 1825.
(Absalom Jones (1746-1818). /Namerican Religious Leader. O...)
Quotes from others about the person
Alfred Frankenstein has called Raphaelle Peale "the first really distinguished still-life specialist to emerge in this country, and he is one of the four major still-life painters of the nineteenth century in the United States. "
On May 25, 1797, Raphael Peale was married to Martha McGlathery in Philadelphia. They had seven children.
