William James Hubard
Portrait of Charles Wilson Peale (1741–1827)

Public Domain

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Artist William James Hubard (American, born England, 1807–1862)American, born England, 1807–1862

CultureAmerican

Titles

Portrait of Charles Wilson Peale (1741–1827)

Datec. 1824–1827

PlacePhiladelphia, Pennsylvania, United States

MediumSilhouette with ink wash on wove paper

Dimensions10 1/8 × 7 3/4 in. (25.7 × 19.7 cm)

Credit LineThe Bayou Bend Collection, museum purchase funded by the Bayou Bend Docent Class of 1998

Object numberB.2003.2

Not on view

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Department

Bayou Bend

Object Type

DRAWINGS, PASTELS & WATERCOLORS

DescriptionWilliam James Hubard, who cut Peale's likeness, was recognized as a child prodigy in his native England. In 1824, he came to the United States and within a year of his arrival began to exhibit at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts. At the encouragement of the artist Robert W. Weir he later gave up cutting silhouettes for painting. It is said Hubard received some instruction from Gilbert Stuart and Thomas Sully. By the 1850s, his interests turned to sculpture. Eventually he established his own foundry for casting bronzes in Richmond, Virginia; however, he seems to have had little success. With the advent of Civil War, he turned his talents towards producing ammunition for the Confederacy and, ironically, was killed in an explosion at his foundry. Hubard's silhouette of Charles Willson Peale is typical of his work and gains distinction because of the subject.
Provenance[Kennedy Galleries, New York]; purchased by MFAH, 2003.
Inscriptions, Signatures and Marks

Marked in pencil on verso lower center: "Silhouette of / C.W. Peale"
Marked in pencil on verso lower left: "EBM#14"
Old paper label on verso mount, center: "CW Peale By Master Hubert / Hubard"
Label on verso mount from Kennedy Galleries Inc. New York.

Cataloguing data may change with further research.

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