Not far from the portraits of Yarrow Mamout and Charles Willson Peale at the Philadelphia Museum of Art is Peale's dramatic painting "Rachel Weeping." It shows the artist's wife, Rachel Brewer, crying over the body of their daughter Margaret. Rachel was Peale's first wife. He married twice more after she died. Yet it is fitting that Rachel's painting be displayed close to Yarrow's, for it was her nephew, Joseph Brewer, who first told Peale about Yarrow. Peale was in Washington D.C. in 1818 and had gone to Georgetown to see Brewer and Brewer's sister (Rachel's niece). They lived next door to each other. The sister was married to the wealthy William Marbury. Several years later, Marbury's son John served as trustee on the deed of trust that was used to secure a loan of Yarrow's. In other words, it was through Brewer and Marbury that Peale was introduced to Yarrow, and they stayed in contact with him. Also see the image at the museum's Web site.
Tuesday, May 15, 2012
Rachel Weeping
Not far from the portraits of Yarrow Mamout and Charles Willson Peale at the Philadelphia Museum of Art is Peale's dramatic painting "Rachel Weeping." It shows the artist's wife, Rachel Brewer, crying over the body of their daughter Margaret. Rachel was Peale's first wife. He married twice more after she died. Yet it is fitting that Rachel's painting be displayed close to Yarrow's, for it was her nephew, Joseph Brewer, who first told Peale about Yarrow. Peale was in Washington D.C. in 1818 and had gone to Georgetown to see Brewer and Brewer's sister (Rachel's niece). They lived next door to each other. The sister was married to the wealthy William Marbury. Several years later, Marbury's son John served as trustee on the deed of trust that was used to secure a loan of Yarrow's. In other words, it was through Brewer and Marbury that Peale was introduced to Yarrow, and they stayed in contact with him. Also see the image at the museum's Web site.
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Very interesting stuff
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