Robert Oliphant

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's sister Elizabeth had her own miniature painted by Raphaelle's brother James Peale in 1795, highlighting the Oliphants' status and the Peales' role in documenting Philadelphia's elite. After the portrait's creation, Robert relocated to Norfolk, Virginia, his later life a mystery. Both miniatures stayed within Elizabeth's family for generations before a close friend bequeathed them to the Smithsonian American Art Museum in honor of Bertha E. Jaques. As a window into post-Revolutionary America, this piece underscores miniatures' cultural role in preserving identity and kinship amid a young nation's growth, blending technical finesse with emotional resonance.

About the Artist

Raphaelle Peale · 1774–1825

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