Mrs. James Smith and Grandson 1776

Charles Willson Peale, portraitist of the American Revolution, painted this image of Mrs. James Smith and her Grandson with oil on canvas. Peale was instrumental in forming a visual culture in the newly independent United States, but what was the role of images such as these in that project? The subjects are members of the merchant class, their status legible in their fine garments and genteel pose. The grandson holds a book, connoting the family’s commitment to education. Note, too, how the soft, gentle rendering of the sitters reflects the influence of British portraiture, a tradition that Peale hoped to continue in the new republic. When we look at an artwork, we are really seeing a set of social relations made visible. As historians, we might consider how Mrs. Smith benefitted from – or was limited by – the social structures of her time. By researching family and financial records, as well as contemporary accounts of life in the early republic, we can better understand the political meanings embedded in this painting.