ANNA C. PEALE. 291
Not only was Miss Peale assiduous in the study of her father’s exquisite miniatures, but she eopied sey- eral executed by distinguished artists in that line. One, from a painting by the celebrated Duchésne, a portrait of Napoleon, was sold to a gentleman in Phil- adelphia for one hundred and fifty dollars. Her am- bition to attain to excellence, now fairly kindled, nerved her to industry and enterprise. She painted a miniature of Washington from a portrait, which was purchased of her father by one of his friends and brother officers of the Revolution, Colonel Allen M‘Clain. The first miniature portraits from life which she undertook were those of Dr. Spencer H. Cone and his venerable mother. These, with one or two others, were presented at the annual exhibition of the Academy of the Fine Arts. She and her sis- ter, Miss Sarah M. Peale, were elected honorary mem- bers of this institution. This sister had adopted por- trait-painting in oil as her profession.
The artistic career thus commenced went on most prosperously. Although she owed nothing to any public notice of her talents, Miss Anna Peale soon found abundant occupation in painting miniature like- nesses. Her health, however, suffered under her in- cessant labors, and she was compelled to put a higher price on her work in order to reduce the number of applications. She was so frequently solicited to paint the likenesses of children, and found them such troub- lesome subjects, that she charged double price for them.
From the commencement of Miss Peale’s painting to her sister’s entrance on the arena as a portrait-paint- er, for some years, it is believed, she was the only pro- fessional lady artist in Philadelphia. The sisters, after �
