Description:

Rembrandt Peale ALS Mentioning Trip to Boston, Where He Would Study Gilbert Stuart's George Washington Portrait

A 1p autograph letter signed by American painter Rembrandt Peale (1778-1860) as "Rembrandt Peale" at lower right. Written in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on August 24, 1857. Docketed by the letter recipient verso. Expected paper folds and a few scattered staple holes at top. Uneven toning and minor ink bleed-through from the docket affecting only Peale's inscription of the date in the upper right hand corner. A slightly deckled right edge suggests the paper may have been bifold at one time. Else very good to near fine. 4.875" x 7.375." Provenance: Ex-Noel Goldblatt (ca. 1926-2003) of the famous Goldblatt's Department Store, to a prominent Los Angeles, California collector.

Rembrandt Peale wrote this letter to John Durand (1822-1908), the editor of a short-lived New York City-based arts journal called "The Crayon: A Journal Devoted to the Graphic Arts, and the Literature Related to Them." Peale, who was an occasional journal contributor, declined Durand's invitation to write an article about an unidentified American artist named Mills, citing a former commitment to travel to Boston.

Peale wrote in part, "I have received your Newspaper extracts concerning Mills, for which I thank you in my own account But as I am just about to start for Boston, cannot now make an article on the subject…As the Crayon is now published by Mr. Hollingsworth - have you instructed him always to send me two imprints of my communications? If not, please do - I shall write you from Boston…"

In August and September 1857, Peale journeyed to Boston, Massachusetts and New Haven, Connecticut in order to study two of the most famous portraits of George Washington executed from life. These were Gilbert Stuart's 1796 portrait, sometimes called the Athenaeum Portrait, and John Trumbull's 1792 "General George Washington at Trenton," today on display at the Yale University Art Gallery.

Rembrandt Peale had himself painted a portrait of George Washington from life over 60 years before, in 1795 as a 17-year-old pupil of his father, the famous artist Charles Wilson Peale. After 1822, it became Rembrandt Peale's mission to execute the most accurate, true-to-life-and-spirit versions of Washington portraits, in order to create a "standard likeness" of the Founding Father. Rembrandt Peale's 1824 "Patriae Pater" portrait of George Washington now displayed in the Old Senate Chamber at the Capitol is seen as his masterpiece (the painting is sometimes referred to as the "porthole" painting because of its distinctive oval trompe l'oeil frame.) But evidently, 30 years later, Peale was still working towards a more perfect portrait of Washington.

John Durand co-edited "The Crayon" with William James Stillman during its initial years of publication, from 1855-1856, later becoming the sole editor from 1857 to about 1861. Durand was the son of noted American landscape painter Asher B. Durand. "The Crayon" was published by one W. Hollingsworth after April 1857; Hollingsworth had been recruited to "manage the business department" of the periodical, as the journal itself explained in an early issue. Though "The Crayon" proved short-lived, it was by all accounts an extremely popular antebellum arts journal. Rembrandt Peale, John Ruskin, Asher B. Durand, and other artists and art critics submitted material to the journal, and it discussed architecture, painting, landscape gardening, art exhibitions, art books, and art gossip.

This item comes with a Certificate from John Reznikoff, a premier authenticator for both major 3rd party authentication services, PSA and JSA (James Spence Authentications), as well as numerous auction houses.

WE PROVIDE IN-HOUSE SHIPPING WORLDWIDE!

qxp

Accepted Forms of Payment:

American Express, Discover, MasterCard, Money Order / Cashiers Check, Paypal, Personal Check, Visa, Wire Transfer

Shipping

We do our own in-house worldwide shipping!

Applicable shipping and handling charges will be added to the invoice. We offer several shipping options, and remain one of the few auction houses who proudly provides professional in-house shipping as an option to our clients. All items will ship with signature required, and full insurance. Most items are sent via Federal Express, with P. O. Box addresses being sent through USPS. We insure through Berkley Asset Protection with rates of $.70 per $100 of value, among the lowest insurance rates in the industry. Our shipping department cameras document every package, both outgoing and incoming, for maximum security. In addition, we compare our shipping and handling rates against those of other auction houses, to ensure that our charges are among the lowest in the trade.

Upon winning your item(s), you will receive an invoice with our in-house shipping and handling fees included. ***We will ship to the address as it appears on your invoice, unless you inform us otherwise, immediately upon your receipt of invoice***

International shipments: In order to comply with our insurance provider, all international shipments will be sent via Fed Ex and customs paperwork will show a value of $1.00. International buyers should contact our office directly with any questions regarding this policy.

Third Party Shipping Option: If a third party shipper is preferred, the buyer is responsible for contacting them directly to make shipping arrangements. For your convenience, we have provided some recommended shippers. For your protection, we will require a signed release from you, confirming your authorization for us to release your lots to your specified third party Please copy and paste this following link into your browser: http://universityarchives.com/UserFiles/ShippingInfo.pdf. At that point, our responsibility and insurance coverage for your item(s) ceases. Items picked up by third party shippers are required to pay Connecticut sales tax. Items requiring third party shipping due to being oversized, fragile or bulky will be denoted in the item description.

Please see our full terms and conditions for names of suggested third party shippers.


After payment has been made in full, University Archives will ship your purchase within 10 business days following receipt of full payment for item.


Please remember that the buyer is responsible for all shipping costs from University Archives' offices in Wilton, CT to the buyer's door. Please see full Terms and Conditions of Sale.

September 29, 2021 10:30 AM EDT
Wilton, CT, US

University Archives

You agree to pay a buyer's premium of 25% and any applicable taxes and shipping.

View full terms and conditions

Bid Increments
From: To: Increments:
$0 $99 $10
$100 $299 $20
$300 $499 $25
$500 $999 $50
$1,000 $1,999 $100
$2,000 $2,999 $200
$3,000 $4,999 $250
$5,000 $9,999 $500
$10,000 $19,999 $1,000
$20,000 $49,999 $2,500
$50,000 + $5,000