Elie Williams
Medium
Oil on canvas
Dimensions
36 1/4 x 27 5/16 in. (92.1 x 69.4 cm)
Classification
Painting
Culture
American
Department
The American Wing
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of I. Austin Kelly III, 1967
Accession Number
67.242
Tags
Art Historical Context
Charles Willson Peale's *Elie Williams* (1789) is a compelling portrait from the early years of the American Republic, capturing the poised likeness of its sitter in oil on canvas. Measuring 36¼ × 27⅜ inches, this work exemplifies Peale's mastery of the medium, which allowed for rich textures, subtle skin tones, and lifelike details that brought his subjects vividly to life. As a leading figure in American portraiture,ale painted prominent citizens during and after the Revolutionary War, blending European traditions with a distinctly national spirit. Created just a year after the U.S. Constit...
About the Artist
Charles Willson Peale · 1741–1827
Charles Willson Peale (1741–1827) was an American painter, museum founder, naturalist, and inventor who became the most important American portraitist of the Revolutionary era and a central figure in the cultural life of the young republic. Born in Queen Anne's County, Maryland, he initially trained as a saddler before turning to painting, studying briefly with John Singleton Copley in Boston and ...