Painting (Portrait)

Description

Rembrandt Peale completed portrait commissions of eminent scholars, political leaders, and prominent families such as the du Ponts. He completed this portrait of the French-born Victorine du Pont in 1813 following two lengthy stay in Paris, where he fell under the spell of French neoclassical artist Jacques-Louis David and his elegant portrait style. Du Pont, shown here in her twenty-first year, moved with her family to New York, where she attended French school before completing her education in Philadelphia. After the tragic death of her young husband, Victorine discovered her passion for teaching and founded a school for children who worked in or lived near her father's gunpowder factory, many of whom were Irish immigrants.