Sarah Miriam Peale, America's First Professional Woman Artist, Gains Recognition After Decades of Obscurity
Sarah Miriam Peale (1800–1885), the niece of Charles Willson Peale and recognized as the first professional female artist in the United States, dedicated sixty years to creating portraits and still lifes in Baltimore and St. Louis. Despite her significant contributions, she remains relatively obscure. Her highest auction price reached $277,200 for the 1822 still life titled Watermelon, which was sold at Christie’s New York in 2023. Future exhibitions featuring her work include "Ms. Americana" at the National Museum of Women in the Arts in April 2026, "A Nation of Artists" at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts from April 2026 to September 2027, and "Becoming Peale" at Winterthur Museum in September 2027. In 1824, she became a member of PAFA and also taught at the Western Academy of Art.
Key facts
- Sarah Miriam Peale (1800–1885) was arguably the first professional woman artist in the United States.
- She painted for six decades from studios in Baltimore and St. Louis.
- Her auction record is $277,200 for Watermelon (1822) sold at Christie’s New York in 2023.
- Upcoming exhibitions featuring her work include "Ms. Americana" at NMWA (April 2026), "A Nation of Artists" at PAFA/Philadelphia Museum (April 2026–September 2027), and "Becoming Peale" at Winterthur (September 2027).
- She and her sister Anna were the first women artists elected as PAFA members in 1824.
- She painted President Millard Fillmore and had sittings with the Marquis de Lafayette in 1824.
- Her age-18 self-portrait is in the Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery collection.
- Only one solo show of her work was held in 1967 at the Peale Museum in Baltimore.
Entities
Artists
- Sarah Miriam Peale
- Charles Willson Peale
- Rembrandt Peale
- Raphaelle Peale
- James Peale Sr.
- Anna Claypoole Peale
- Margaretta Angelica Peale
- Hannah Brown Skeele
- George Washington
- Millard Fillmore
- Marquis de Lafayette
- Kedra Kearis
- Deborah Gaston
- Carol Eaton Soltis
- Stiles Tuttle Colwill
- Amy Torbert
- Brandon Brame Fortune
Institutions
- Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts (PAFA)
- Peale Museum
- Winterthur Museum, Garden and Library
- National Museum of Women in the Arts (NMWA)
- New York Historical Society
- Metropolitan Museum of Art
- U.S. House of Representatives
- Philadelphia Museum of Art
- Maryland Center for History and Culture
- American Philosophical Society Manuscript Collections
- Hammond-Harwood House
- Western Academy of Art
- St. Louis Art Museum
- Art Institute of Chicago
- Christie’s New York
- Butterfields
- Artnet Price Database
- Smithsonian Institution’s National Portrait Gallery
- National Portrait Gallery (NPG)
Locations
- Baltimore
- St. Louis
- Philadelphia
- Pennsylvania
- Washington, D.C.
- Delaware
- United States
- New York
- Maryland
- Annapolis
- San Francisco
- California
- Maine
- Chicago
- Illinois