THE PEALE FAMILY: CREATION OF A LEGACY, 1770-1870 , by Lillian B. Miller, editor (Abbeville Press,320 pages, $75.00).
Prepared in connection with a major exhibition of the same name, this lavishly illustrated study examines the lives of the famous Peale family of artists through the works of brothers James (1749-1831) and Charles Willson Peale (1741-1827), and their sons, daughters, and a nephew. Members of this gifted family, whose accomplishments included the founding of museums and other art and educational institutions, were also lecturers, writers, and inventors, but were primarily known for their paintings of still lifes, portraits, and landscapes. The more than 280 illustrations reproduced in this volume, most in full color, include Charles Willson Peale’s Washington After the Battle of Princeton, January 3, 1777 (1779-82); Rembrandt Peale’s Thomas Jefferson (1805); James Peale’s Anna and Margaretta Peale (c.1805); Titian Ramsay Peale’s Sandhill Cranes (c.1822); Raphaelle Peale’s Peaches (c.1817); and Sarah Miriam Peale’s Veil of Mystery (c.1830).
