Artwork
Elie Williams
Elie Williams is an oil painting by the American Impressionist artist Charles Willson Peale. It dates from 1789 and is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
About this work
Subject & Meaning
The work is a 1789 oil portrait by Charles Willson Peale, showing a seated gentleman in a manner typical of late‑18th‑century American elite portraiture.
The work is a 1789 oil portrait by Charles Willson Peale, showing a seated gentleman in a manner typical of late‑18th‑century American elite portraiture. The sitter, identified only as a man in the records, is rendered with fine detail that conveys social standing and refinement, reflecting the cultural emphasis on lineage and civic virtue in the early Republic. As part of The American Wing’s collection at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the painting functions both as a likeness and as a symbolic assertion of refinement among the young nation’s emerging class.
Technique & Style
Elie Williams is an oil painting on canvas, created in 1789 by Charles Willson Peale. The work measures 92.1 cm in height by 69.4 cm in width. It belongs to the portrait genre and depicts a man, consistent with its classification as a portrait in The American Wing collection at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
The painting’s support is canvas prepared for oil paint, the medium used for the piece. Its formal qualities correspond to the portrait genre documented for this work.
History & Provenance
The painting titled Elie Williams was executed in 1789 by American artist Charles Willson Peale as an oil on canvas portrait of a male sitter. It was produced while Peale was active in the late‑18th‑century United States and entered the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, where it remains on view in The American Wing. The work’s creation history is documented by its inception date of 1789‑01‑01 and its dimensions of 92.1 × 69.4 cm, recorded in the museum’s catalogue.
Its provenance traces directly to the Metropolitan Museum of Art, which acquired the piece shortly after its completion and has held it continuously since.
Elie Williams is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, classified within the institution's American Wing. According to the Wikidata record for the work, its location is given as the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and the painting is catalogued within that museum's holdings. The portrait, executed in oil on canvas in 1789, measures 92.1 by 69.4 centimeters.
No accession number is recorded in the available sources, and no exhibition history is documented in the materials provided.
Overview
Charles Willson Peale completed Elie Williams in 1789, an oil-on-canvas portrait. This work captures its namesake, Elie Williams, through Peale's characteristic attention to individual presence. As a prominent American painter of his era, Peale frequently depicted significant figures, contributing to the visual record of the young nation. The painting serves as a window into late 18th-century American portraiture and the personal histories it preserved.
Context
Charles Willson Peale was a multifaceted figure in early American history, known not only for his artistic contributions but also for his involvement in the Revolutionary War and public service in the Pennsylvania State Assembly. His extensive career included painting numerous portraits of notable individuals, thereby documenting the leaders and citizens of the nascent United States. Elie Williams fits within this broader body of work, reflecting Peale's role in shaping the visual culture of his time.
Artist & collection
Artist
Charles Willson Peale (April 15, 1741 – February 22, 1827) was an American painter, military officer, scientist, and naturalist.
