Portrait of a Gentleman 1774 - 1777

"Portrait of a Gentleman" is a charcoal drawing created by Charles Willson Peale, a prominent American painter, between 1774 and 1777. The intimate, oval-shaped portrait is now part of the Metropolitan Museum of Art's collection in New York. Peale's signature, though faint, is visible at the lower right corner of the artwork. The drawing depicts a man with a powdered wig and a simple, white collar, capturing a snapshot of 18th-century style. The use of charcoal, a medium favoured by artists during the Enlightenment, creates a subtle sense of realism, highlighting Peale's talent for capturing the human likeness.