Art Institute of Chicago

Olivia Simes Morris

James Peale (American, 1749–1831)

Date

1814

Medium

Oil on canvas

Culture

United States

Department

Arts of the Americas

Institution

Art Institute of Chicago

James Peale was a member of a prominent Philadelphia family of artists, brother of Charles Willson Peale and father of several accomplished female painters. Olivia Simes Morris was also a member of the city’s cultural elite, her husband having been a cofounder of the Columbianum, a short-lived artists’ association that Charles Willson Peale organized. Olivia Simes Morris is a sensitive portrayal of the sitter. Embellishments of lace and a richly colored embroidered shawl add notes of refinement to an otherwise restrained composition. James Peale practiced portraiture throughout his long career. In addition to oil portraits, he excelled at miniatures, delicate likenesses of watercolor on ivory.

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