AFA 18th Anniversary

18th Anniversary 138 www.afamag.com | w ww.incollect.com In May 1795, at the inaugural exhibition of the Columbianum, America’s first, although short-lived, art academy, Charles Willson Peale exhibited his skill in rendering a full-length figure in motion and his mastery of pictorial illusionism with this portrait of two of his sons, Raphaelle and Titian Ramsay, on a staircase. Shortly thereafter, Peale installed the picture in his museum, the first successful American museum open to the public. Here the portrait asserted the literal presence and participation of his sons as part of the museum’s mission to share useful knowledge and entertain through its displays of art and natural science, which were the young men’s individual areas of expertise. Charles envisioned his sons as part of a talented rising generation that would distinguish the new nation and bring success and respect to his family. Charles Willson Peale (1741–1827), The Staircase Group ( Portrait of Raphaelle and Titian Ramsay Peale (1774–1825; 1780–98), 1795. Oil on canvas, 89½ x 39⅜ inches. The George W. Elkins Collection (E1945-1-1).