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Archives of American Art
A Finding Aid to the Rubens Peale Diaries, 1855-1865, in the Archives of American Art
Summary
- Collection ID:
- AAA.pealrube
- Creators:
-
Peale, Rubens, 1784-1865
- Dates:
-
1855-1865
- Languages:
-
English.
- Physical Description:
-
0.2 Linear feet
- Repository:
The Rubens Peale diaries date from 1855-1865 and measure 0.2 linear feet. The collection consists of four bound diaries with daily entries made during the last ten years of Peale's life when he turned seriously to painting, primarily producing still life and animal paintings. While entries frequently concern farm and family activities, there are also many references to his painting. Entries from April 1865 describe the news of Abraham Lincoln's assassination and funeral procession.
Scope and Contents
Scope and Contents
The Rubens Peale diaries date from 1855-1865 and measure 0.2 linear feet. The collection consists of four bound diaries with daily entries made during the last ten years of Peale's life when he turned seriously to painting, primarily producing still life and animal paintings. While entries frequently concern farm and family activities, there are also many references to his painting. Entries from April 1865 describe the news of Abraham Lincoln's assassination and funeral procession.
Arrangement
Arrangement
Due to the small size of this collection the diaries are arranged as one series.
Biographical / Historical
Biographical / Historical
Philadelphia born museum director and painter Rubens Peale is known for his still life paintings and was the son of artist and naturalist Charles Willson Peale.
During his twenties and thirties Peale was director of his father's museum in Philadelphia and then of the Peale Museum in Baltimore. He opened his own museum in New York in 1825 but ultimately sold his collection to P.T. Barnum in 1843.
Meanwhile, in 1837, he moved to the estate of his father-in-law, George Patterson, near Schuylkill Haven, Pennsylvania. In October 1855 he began keeping a journal and turned to still life painting as an extension of his interest in natural history. He continued learning and developing as an artist and one year before his death returned to Philadelphia to study landscape painting with Edward Moran. In the final decade of his life Peale produced 130 paintings.
Administration
Author
Stephanie Ashley
Sponsor
Funding for the processing and digitization of this collection was provided by the Terra Foundation for American Art and The Walton Family Foundation
Immediate Source of Acquisition
The collection was donated to the Archives of American Art in 1959 by Mr. and Mrs. Lawrence A. Fleischman.
Existence and Location of Copies
The collection was digitized in 2023 and is available on the Archives of American Art website.
Processing Information
The collection was microfilmed after receipt on Reel D10. The diaries were processed and a finding aid prepared by Stephanie Ashley in 2023 with funding provided by the Terra Foundation for American Art and The Walton Family Foundation.
Using the Collection
Conditions Governing Use
The Archives of American Art makes its archival collections available for non-commercial, educational and personal use unless restricted by copyright and/or donor restrictions, including but not limited to access and publication restrictions. AAA makes no representations concerning such rights and restrictions and it is the user's responsibility to determine whether rights or restrictions exist and to obtain any necessary permission to access, use, reproduce and publish the collections. Please refer to the Smithsonian's Terms of Use for additional information.
Conditions Governing Access
This collection is open for research. Access to original papers requires an appointment and is limited to the Archives' Washington, D.C. Research Center.
Preferred Citation
Rubens Peale diaries, 1855-1865. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Keywords
| Keyword Terms | Keyword Types | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Museum administrators | Occupation | Search Smithsonian Collections | Search ArchiveGrid |
| Painters -- Pennsylvania | Occupation | Search Smithsonian Collections | Search ArchiveGrid |
| Diaries | Genre Form | Search Smithsonian Collections | Search ArchiveGrid |
Archives of American Art
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Washington, D.C. 20001
Business Number: Phone: 202-633-7950
https://www.aaa.si.edu/services/questions
