Rembrandt Peale

Rembrandt Peale was one of the leading American portrait painters of the early republic, known for smooth, clear likenesses and above all for his portraits of George Washington.

Born in Pennsylvania, he was a son of the painter Charles Willson Peale, who named several of his children after great artists. Rembrandt painted Washington from life at 17, and later spent years perfecting an idealised image of him, the Patriae Pater of 1824, now in the United States Senate. He studied in London and Paris, founded a museum in Baltimore, and painted many public figures. His Rubens Peale with a Geranium is one of the best known American paintings of its time.

His portraits of families such as Alida Livingston Armstrong and Daughter show his careful drawing and soft, even light.