The Hattiesburg news. (Hattiesburg, Miss.) 1908-1917, 1909-04-16

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Charles Wilson Peale, artist and au-
thor, was born April 16, 1741.
His father Charles Peale, was mast
err of the country schools and some
times preached in some of the local
churches.
When his father died, Charles Will
son was but nine years old. He went
with his mother then to Annapolis
and entered school there, but anxious
to learn a trade he started as an ap-
prentice to saddler at thirteen and
later went into that business for him
self.
After visiting an exhibition of fine
paintings one day, he became enthus-
iastic, he gave the German painter,
Hesselius, a saddle for the privilege of
watching him paint, afterwards taking
lessons from him.
Influential friends became interested
in him and sent him to England where
he became a pupil of Benjamin West,
in London in no He also studied
for a short time previous to that under
John Singleton Copley in Boston.
While in England he made careful
study of art, not only painting, but
also modelling in wax, casting plaster,
engraving and miniature painting, and
on his return to this country in 1776,
he paid off all his debts by painting
the portraits of the people that had so
kindly helped him to get his start, as
he had promised to do, and establish
ed a studio in Philadelphia.
When the militia were mastering in
Philadelphia, he enlisted as lieuten-
ant in the company which he had en-
ergetically helped to organize and was
made captain soon after.
His fearlessness and gallant conduct
in leading his company in the battles
of Trenton and Princeton won him
much praise, and when Philadelphia
was threatened with capture he was
one of the six deputed to arrest those
suspected of disloyalty. He was also
one of fifty to remove the public stores
at that time, and one of three appoint
ed to alike possession of and sell con-
fiscated estates.
He still pursued his artistic vocation,
snatching subjects for landscapes and
never losing an opportunity to secure
portrait or sketch of the eminent
people he came in contact with. He
collected a large number of portraits
in this way which are now numbered
among the country's most valued pos
sessions.
In 1873 he became interested in pCli-
tics and was elected a member of the
legislature and was one of the main
advocates of the act for abolishing
slavery.
The finding of mammoth in Ulster
county, n. Y. in 1901, turned his at
| tention into channels of natural his
tory and he began collecting speci-
mems, opening the "Peale Museum, -
in 1902, himself giving lectures on
natural history.
His efforts in 1891 to found an art
academy in Philadelphia ultimately
assisted in the foundation of the Penn
sylvania Academy of Fine Arts, he con-
tributing to seventeen of the exhibit
tions.
Being remarkable versatile, he add
ed authorship to his many accomplish
ments and most prominent of his list
of publications are Building Wood
en- Bridges" Discourse Introductory
to a Course of Lectures on Natural
History" "Epistles on the Means OF
Preserving Health" and Domestic
Happiness
Peale, however was particularly ia
nous as a portrait painter and being
associated with Washington, was af
forded the sittings for the great SCI
of fourteen portraits. The first Of the
fourteen portraits of Washington b!
Peale was in the uniform of a Vir
ginia Colonel, and is the only one nov
extant of those painted before tn,
revolution. His last portrait of Wash
ington, executed in 1888, he retained
until his death.
Peale died in Philadelphia, Februar
%, 1927, leaving a collection of 26
portraits and historical scenes.