the young Ameican republic. Peale expressed this
             ideal in portraits of family members, which also served as lessons in appropriate
             behavior."3 James Peale also understood the storytelling value of symbolic
             portraits, but he preferred a less ideological and more naturalistic style than his
             brother Charles. The younger Peales, in painting portraits of each other as well
             as self-portraits, used the opportunity to experiment, conveying in paint their
             individual sense of self as well as their feelings for each other.
             Upon his return from London in 1769, Charles Willson Peale was sought
             by wealthy planters and merchants in Maryland and Philadelphia to paint their
             portraits in the latest London style. "Peale was the first American artist to
             compose British-style "conversation pieces"--group portraits showing subjects in
             their surroundings, engaged in customary pursuits."4
             3 Encyclopedia Of The North American Colonies. New York, NY: Macmillan Publishing
             4 A History Of Art. Englewood, NJ: Prentince-Hall, Inc, 1983, p. 294
             These demanded mastery of composition as well as skill in rendering textures
             and perspective. He also produced impressive allegorical portraits, elegant
             group paintings, and double portraits, which remain among the most important
             ...