Portrait of a Lady (Harriet Cany Peale)

Sparkling eyes and a tilted head suggest the inquisitive and artistic nature of Harriet Cany Peale, the wife of Philadelphia portraitist Rembrandt Peale. Painted around the time of their marriage, this picture conveys the “love of painting and zeal for improvement” that, in her husband’s words, united this pair. Harriet took art lessons from Rembrandt, and her own Ideal Portrait hangs to the left. Both were widowed and mature in age, but Peale presents his wife in an elegant blue dress and exotic turban to celebrate her charm.

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