Francis Bailey

Peale’s images of the Mr. and Mrs. Francis Bailey of Philadelphia are noteworthy for their apparent honesty and directness. The sitters wear neither jewelry nor any other adornment. Peale was undoubtedly good company for Francis Bailey, who shared his political views. A journalist and editor, Bailey was the official printer and publisher for Congress. He patented a new form of type that was difficult to counterfeit. Peale shows Bailey proudly holding up a printing block, an emblem of his preeminence in his profession, for the viewer's admiration.

After Francis Bailey’s death in 1815, Eleanor Bailey (accession number 1957.147) moved to Cincinnati with five of her eleven children; presumably she brought these portraits with her. She lived in Cincinnati until her death in 1832.