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Robert Oliphant

Raphaelle Peale

1799

Robert Oliphant by Raphaelle Peale

Medium

Painting-Miniature

Classification

Painting-Miniature

Department

Smithsonian Collection

Museum

Smithsonian American Art Museum

Credit

Smithsonian American Art Museum, Bequest of Bertha E. Jaques

Accession Number

1942.2.2

Tags

bust

About this artwork

Robert Oliphant was the oldest son of William Oliphant, a wealthy Philadelphia landowner. Robert’s sister had her miniature painted by James Peale in 1795 [see 1942.2.3]. Some time after this miniature was painted, Robert moved to Norfolk, Virginia, but his whereabouts after that are unknown. Both miniatures descended in his sister Elizabeth’s family until they were given to a close family friend, who in turn bequeathed them to this museum.

Art Historical Context

This delicate miniature portrait, *Robert Oliphant* (1799), by Raphaelle Peale captures the eldest son of William Oliphant, a Philadelphia landowner, in a bust-length format typical of the era's intimate likenesses. Painted at the turn of the 19th century, it reflects the Peale family's prominence in early American art. Raphaelle, eldest son of renowned painter Charles Willson Pe, was a master of miniatures—small-scale watercolors on ivory prized for their portability and personal sentiment, often worn as jewelry or kept in lockets by loved ones. The work connects to family tradition: Robert'...

About the Artist

Raphaelle Peale · 1774–1825

Comment on works: portrait; still-life; marine; miniature

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