49-594: Belfield , also known as the Charles Willson Peale House , was the home of Charles Willson Peale from 1810 to 1826, and was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1965. The Belfield Estate was a 104-acre (42 ha) area of land in the Logan section of Philadelphia , Pennsylvania , United States, much of which is now a part of La Salle University’s campus. In 1684, William Penn granted to Thomas Bowman 588 acres (238 ha) near Germantown . Bowman kept
98-418: A gazebo on this site that as of 2014 is in a ruined state. Northwest of the summer house was an obelisk at the end of a garden walk. Peale painted four mottos that governed his life on the base of this obelisk, one on each side. It was Peale's wish to have been buried at the foot of this obelisk, yet it was not to be, as Peale sold Belfield a year before his death. Though Peale was not buried at this location,
147-533: A mastodon skeleton (which in Peale's time were referred to as mammoth bones; these common names were amended by Georges Cuvier in 1800, and his proposed usage is that employed today) that Peale found in New York . Peale worked with his son to mount the skeleton for display. The display of the mammoth bones entered Peale into a long-standing debate between Thomas Jefferson and Comte de Buffon . Buffon argued that Europe
196-455: A "gate" to disguise it. On the "gate" were symbols and figures representing Congress, America, Truth, Wisdom, Temperance, and Mars , the Roman God of war. The ruins of Peale's cave and greenhouse still stand. The cave is now underneath the stump of a coffee tree, but the deteriorating masonry is still visible. The greenhouse's walls are to the west, and are mostly overgrown with brush and ivy while
245-459: A correspondence with Thomas Hall, of the Finsbury Museum, City Road, Finsbury, London proposing to purchase British stuffed items for his museum. Eventually, an exchange system was established between the two, whereby Peale sent American birds to Hall in exchange for an equal number of British birds. This arrangement continued until the end of the century. The Peale Museum was the first to display
294-455: A couple of yards away. This tree was replaced several times during the history of Belfield. There were numerous transplanted trees that are scattered throughout the land but throughout all the years, only one tree can be described as the strongest and longest lasting. This is the old hickory tree that was and still is standing near the greenhouses. After purchasing the property from Peale, William Logan Fisher and wife Sarah Lindley Fisher lived on
343-469: A deep trench was cut in the hillside, requiring a 14 foot retaining wall be built along what is now the eastern edge of the estate. In 1926, La Salle College purchased a portion of land on the east side of 20th Street from the Starrs for $ 27,500. The remaining portion of the campus was purchased from other descendants of William Logan Fisher. In 1956, S. Logan Wister Starr and her husband Daniel Blain inherited
392-409: A descendant of Johannes de Peyster , the next year. With his second wife, he had six additional children, including: In 1805, Peale married Hannah Moore, a Quaker from Philadelphia, who became his third wife. She helped to raise the younger children from his previous two marriages. Peale's slave, Moses Williams , was also trained in the arts while growing up in the Peale household and later became
441-525: A double coat with a long, straight outer coat and a short, thick, cotton-wool like undercoat. The Wolfsspitz/ Keeshond is the largest variety of Deutscher Spitz, standing some 43 to 55 cm (17 to 22 in) at the withers according to the breed standard . The coat is silver-grey with black shading. In some English-speaking countries – including Canada, the United Kingdom and the United States –
490-644: A great interest in natural history , and organized the first U.S. scientific expedition in 1801. These two major interests combined in his founding of the Philadelphia Museum in 1784. It housed a diverse collection of botanical, biological, and archaeological specimens. In 1786, Peale was elected to the American Philosophical Society . The museum contained a large variety of birds which Peale himself acquired, and in many instances mounted, having taught himself taxidermy. In 1792, Peale initiated
539-424: A house constructed on the estate in 1868 for his family, this house is now La Salle's Mary and Frances Wister Fine Arts Studio. In 1876, he moved his family across the street to another house he had built, the mansion 'Wister', which was deeded to Fairmount Park and demolished in 1956. The Wister's second son, John, purchased the remaining property upon Sarah's death in 1891. John Wister made several improvements to
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#1732869090522588-643: A noted artist. In 1775, Peale's enthusiasm for the American Revolution and the new national government led him to move from Maryland to Philadelphia , then the national capital, where he began painting portraits of notable Americans and visitors from overseas. His estate, now located at La Salle University in Philadelphia, is now open to the public. Peale also recruited troops for the Pennsylvania militia , which ultimately joined with other militias to create
637-706: A painting studio and joined the Sons of Liberty . During the American Revolutionary War , Peale served in the Pennsylvania Militia and the Continental Army , participating in several military campaigns. In addition to his military service, Peale also served in the Pennsylvania State Assembly from 1779 to 1780. Peale's portraits of leading American figures of the late 18th century are some of
686-402: A portion of the land to John Eckstein in 1731. The 1731 deed mentions "Buildings & Woods & Underwoods, Timbers, Trees, Meadows, Marshes." This is the first time that "buildings" are recorded on the property. The once free-standing, square structure now attached to the rear of the main house is believed to be the oldest surviving building, but it is not known whether this building existed at
735-740: A professional silhouette artist. In 1810, Peale purchased a farm in Germantown , where he intended to retire. He named this estate Belfield and cultivated extensive gardens there. After Hannah's death in 1821, Peale lived with his son Rubens and sold Belfield in 1826. Peale died on February 22, 1827, and was buried at St. Peter's Episcopal Church in Philadelphia alongside his wife Elizabeth DePeyster. A Renaissance man , Peale had expertise not only in painting but also in many diverse fields, including carpentry , dentistry , optometry , shoemaking , and taxidermy . In 1802, John Isaac Hawkins patented
784-423: A record for the highest price paid for a North American portrait. In 1794, Peale designed the first state seal of Maryland . One of his most celebrated paintings is The Staircase Group (1795), a double portrait of his sons Raphaelle and Titian, is painted in the trompe-l'œil style and appears today in the Philadelphia Museum of Art . This painting is said to have fooled even George Washington. Peale had
833-421: A spring within the "Summer House" until that was diverted along with two pools that existed by the kitchen that fed into a well and one that existed near the lower half of the stable. These have since disappeared and it is unknown exactly how the last two disappeared. To the southeast was a pool with a ten-foot fountain that was fed by pipes from the spring. Next to the pool was a garden shed onto which Peale painted
882-581: A stop on the Underground Railroad , though there is no contemporary evidence of this claim. During this time, William Wister and William Logan Fisher together founded the Belfield Print Works, located at the edge of the property, at the present-day intersection of Belfield Avenue and Wister Street. William Rotch Wister, the Wister's eldest son, and father of horticulturist John Caspar Wister , had
931-521: A younger brother, James Peale (1749–1831), and was the brother-in-law of Nathaniel Ramsey , who would go on to serve as a delegate to the Congress of the Confederation . Four years after his father's death in 1750, Peale, at age 13, became an apprentice to saddle maker Nathan Waters. When he reached maturity, Peale opened his own saddle shop. In 1764, Peale joined Sons of Liberty , an organization of
980-835: Is a breed of spitz -type dogs from Germany. It is considered a single breed, with five distinct varieties based on size and colour: the Wolfsspitz/ Keeshond , the Giant Spitz or Großspitz, the Medium Spitz or Mittelspitz, the Miniature Spitz or Kleinspitz and the Pomeranian or Zwergspitz ("Dwarf Spitz"). The earliest mentions of these spitz dogs in German literature date from AD 1450. In 1750, Count Eberhand zu Sayre Buffon wrote in his National history of quadrupeds that spitz dogs were
1029-661: The Continental Army , commanded by George Washington . In the Pennsylvania militia, Peale rose to the rank of captain by 1776, after participating in several battles. While in combat, he painted miniature portraits of various officers in the Continental Army. He produced enlarged versions of these in later years. After the Revolutionary War, he served in the Pennsylvania state assembly for a year, from 1779 to 1780, and then returned to painting full-time in Philadelphia. Peale
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#17328690905221078-948: The Thirteen Colonies that proved influential in organizing and paving the way for the American Revolution . He proved unsuccessful in saddle making as a career and then tried fixing clocks and working with metals, but both of these endeavors also failed. He then took up painting. Finding that he had a talent for painting, especially portraiture, Peale studied for a time under John Hesselius and John Singleton Copley . John Beale Bordley and friends eventually raised enough money for him to travel to England to take instruction from Benjamin West . Peale studied with West for three years beginning in 1767, afterward returning to North America and settling in Annapolis, Maryland . There, he taught painting to his younger brother, James Peale , who in time also became
1127-442: The property, installing a furnace in the main house, and building a greenhouse next to the ruins of Peale's. The foundations of this greenhouse survive as of 2010. In July 1907, the carriage house caught fire, causing the panicked Wister family to flee Belfield, though there was no actual damage to the main house. After John died in 1900, his wife Sallie Wister continued to live at Belfield until her death in 1922. Upon her death, it
1176-594: The Keeshond and the German Wolfspitz are classed as two separate breeds; weights may be in the range 27 to 32 kg (60 to 70 lb) for the German Wolfspitz and 25 to 30 kg (55 to 65 lb) for the Keeshond. The Giant Spitz is a medium-sized dog. It usually weighs 17 to 18 kg (37 to 40 lb) and according to the breed standard stands 43 to 55 cm (17 to 22 in); the coat can be white, black or brown. Black and brown animals can have white spots on
1225-424: The Wister family later buried their dog, a white German Spitz named 'Kaiser', there. A reproduction of this obelisk was created by La Salle alumni in 2000. To the south of the obelisk, Peale erected another gazebo, in " Chinese [sic] taste, dedicated to meditation. This summer house was simpler than the one built by his son, and only had a flat roof to provide shade, and four posts to hold it up, with seats around
1274-434: The ancestor of all German breeds. German Spitz dogs were originally kept on farms for a number of roles including herding and guarding . As the centuries progressed some lines were bred to be smaller for other duties and eventually as small companion dogs . The German Spitz is a long-haired, double-coated breed of spitz-type dog; the five varieties vary significantly in size. The breed standard states all variants have
1323-425: The chest, paws and tip of tail. The Medium Spitz is a medium-sized dog. It usually weighs 10.5 to 11.5 kg (23 to 25 lb) and according to the breed standard stands 30 to 40 cm (12 to 16 in); the coat can be white, black, brown, orange, grey-shaded and other colours - as well as mixes thereof. The Miniature Spitz is a small dog. It usually weighs 3 to 5 kg (7 to 11 lb) and according to
1372-546: The colonial kitchen restored, and planted citrus trees, and a garden of one hundred Tea Roses . James, who had an interest in China, added several rock gardens and in the rear of the main house, a "Chinese Garden" that still survives. The date of the garden's construction was recorded in Chinese characters on the garden's wall. Also during the Starr's ownership, 20th Street was constructed and
1421-405: The estate. Sarah Lindley Fisher attracted a lot of guests when she arrived to the estate. Together the two had three children. The first was Sarah Lindley in 1818, the second, Charles William in 1820, and finally Mary Rodman in 1822. William gave the estate to his daughter Sarah upon her marriage to William Wister in 1826. According to the Wister's great-granddaughter, Mary Meigs , Belfield served as
1470-399: The exact date of construction of the main house at Belfield is not known, Peale later wrote that it was built "by a Dutchman". As Weber was the son of a Dutch immigrant, this would date the house to sometime after 1755. Weber sold the property to his tenant Richard Neave in 1804, not having lived on the property himself since the 1770s. Neave owned the property until his death in 1809, when it
1519-538: The inside. On the same hillside as the Chinese gazebo was a pedestal onto which Peale inscribed ninety memorable events in American history, starting with the discovery of America, and ending with the American victory at New Orleans in 1815. Significantly, he left room to inscribe the first crossing of the Atlantic Ocean by an American steamship. There were originally seven natural pools and springs that existed within
Belfield (Philadelphia) - Misplaced Pages Continue
1568-472: The land for two years, and sold it to Samuel Richardson, a Quaker who was active in the early colonial government of Pennsylvania. The property extended from Old York Road to the edges of Germantown, with Richardson's home, "Newington", located on Old York Road. Upon Samuel Richardson's death in 1719, his son Joseph inherited the land, and split it among his children, with the area that would become Belfield going to his second son, John. John Richardson sold
1617-413: The location of Peale's pond has been paved over by a driveway. While the condition of the gardens and greenhouses may have deteriorated during the unforgiving embrace of time, they once used to be magnificent, with numerous flora of all kinds scattered all throughout the greenhouses and on the grounds. The flora included a fig tree to the south side of the small gardener's cottage along with a box tree only
1666-677: The mansion from Logan's parents, they kept the property a fully functioning and self-sufficient farm, despite spending most of their time in Nova Scotia . Under the Blains, in 1966, the property was added to the National Register of Historic Places. Having rented 'The Mansion' and another house, 'Shaw Manor', from the Blains since the early 1960s for dormitory space, La Salle purchased both houses in 1968, and demolished them for parking space. In 1979, Logan Blain died, and her son, Daniel Blain, Jr. sold
1715-455: The massive property. Peale took advantage of these natural pools and utilized them to improve his massive garden. He hollowed out the source of the spring into an artificial cave, which he then lined with masonry. This spring fed a greenhouse with a glass ceiling. Unfortunately only two of the original seven pools remain today. The other five have either disappeared due to natural reasons or have been diverted to another location. There used to exist
1764-520: The most recognizable and prominent from that era. In 1784, he founded the Philadelphia Museum , one of the first American museums. More than two centuries after Peale painted his 1779 portrait Washington at Princeton , the painting sold for $ 21.5 million, the highest price ever paid for an American portrait. Peale was born on April 15, 1741, in Chester, Maryland . He was the son of Charles Peale (1709–1750) and his wife Margaret Triggs (1709–1791). Peale had
1813-512: The office for the President of La Salle , while the former tenant house on the south end of the property was used for Japanese tea ceremonies from the 1980s until 2007. Charles Willson Peale Charles Willson Peale (April 15, 1741 – February 22, 1827) was an American painter, military officer, scientist, and naturalist. In 1775, inspired by the American Revolution , Peale moved from his native Maryland to Philadelphia , where he set up
1862-410: The remainder of the estate to La Salle University, in 1984. La Salle University began a renovation of the estate after purchasing it, converting it from a farm into a park-like area. Several structures were demolished, including Peale's stable and hen house, which were leveled to construct a parking lot and later tennis courts . The main house of Belfield, now called 'Peale House', was also converted to
1911-513: The same time as the purchase of one by Thomas Jefferson. Peale and Jefferson collaborated on refinements to this device, which enabled a copy of a handwritten letter to be produced simultaneously with the original. Peale wrote several books. Two of these were An Essay on Building Wooden Bridges (1797) and An Epistle to a Friend on the Means of Preserving Health (1803). Sources German Spitz The German Spitz ( German : Deutscher Spitz )
1960-547: The second official physiognotrace , a mechanical drawing device, and partnered with Peale to market it to prospective buyers. Peale sent a watercolor sketch of the physiognotrace, along with a detailed explanation, to Thomas Jefferson . The drawing is now held with the Jefferson Papers in the Library of Congress. Around 1804, Peale obtained the American patent rights to the polygraph from its inventor John Isaac Hawkins, about
2009-399: The southeast, purchased the property for $ 11,000. Peale cultivated, and frequently used as inspiration, extensive gardens on the estate grounds. One of the first structures Peale added to his garden was a " summer house ", built in about 1813 by his son Franklin. It was a hexagonal structure with six columns, and a bust of George Washington crowning its roof. The Wister family later built
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2058-479: The time of the sale to Eckstein. Eckstein transferred the land that the main house is located on to his daughter Magdalena and son-in-law Conrad Weber in 1755, and after the death of Eckstein in 1763 the land was split among his remaining children. Two of the remaining children of Eckstein became members of the religious Ephrata Cloister in Lancaster County , and all had sold their land to Weber by 1786. Though
2107-593: Was a prolific artist. He completed portraits of scores of historic figures, including Benjamin Franklin , John Hancock , Thomas Jefferson , Alexander Hamilton , James Mitchell Varnum , and George Washington. In 1771, Washington sat for a portrait with Peale, and he later sat for six additional sittings. Using the seven portraits he painted of Washington, Peale produced close to 60 portraits of Washington. In January 2005, one of them, Peale's Washington at Princeton sold for $ 21.3 million (~$ 31.9 million in 2023), setting
2156-477: Was among the first to adopt Linnaean taxonomy . This system drew a stark contrast between Peale's museum and his competitors who presented their artifacts as mysterious oddities of the natural world. The museum underwent several moves during its existence. At various times it was located in several prominent buildings, including Independence Hall and the original home of the American Philosophical Society . The museum eventually failed, in large part because Peale
2205-482: Was discovered that John Wister's will gave Belfield to his second daughter Sarah Logan Wister Starr , who had lived in another house on the property, later dubbed 'The Mansion', since her marriage in 1901. Wister's eldest daughter, Bessie, felt slighted, leading to a feud between the sisters lasting several decades. During the ownership of Sarah and her husband James Starr, the property had bathrooms installed and underground electric and telephone lines run to it. They had
2254-701: Was far too solemn, and as a result, by 1812 he had changed it to 'Bellefield', which later, became 'Belfield.' Peale began renovations on the mansion house after purchasing the property, separating partitions in between rooms, and adding a "painting room to the north side of the house. When this room was destroyed in a storm in August 1817, a larger, two-story addition was added. In October 1821, Peale and his wife Hannah contracted yellow fever , which led to Hannah's death. A weakened Peale moved in with his son Rubens, and put Belfield up for sale. In January 1826, William Logan Fisher , whose estate of Wakefield bordered Belfield to
2303-558: Was sold to his tenants, Charles and Mary Grégoire. The Grégoires possessed the property for just three months before putting it up for sale. Seeking to retire, Charles Willson Peale turned over the administration of his Philadelphia Museum to his son, Rubens , and began to look for a small country estate. He purchased the land in 1810 from Charles Grégoire for $ 9500. Peale initially named the estate 'Farm Persevere', and wrote to Thomas Jefferson , telling him "by labor and perseverance I obtained it." Friends of Peale's thought that this name
2352-544: Was superior to the Americas biologically, which was illustrated through the size of animals found there. Jefferson referenced the existence of these "mammoths" (which he believed still roamed northern regions of the continent) as evidence for a greater biodiversity in North America. Peale's display of these bones drew attention from Europe, as did his method of re-assembling large skeletal specimens in three dimensions. The museum
2401-455: Was unsuccessful at obtaining government funding. After his death, the museum was sold to, and split up by, showmen P. T. Barnum and Moses Kimball . In 1762, Peale married Rachel Brewer (1744–1790), who bore him ten children, most of them named for Peale's favorite male and female artists. Several of his sons and daughters also pursued careers as painters, including: After Rachel's death in 1790, Peale married Elizabeth de Peyster (1765–1804),
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