May 31, 2025
Twice a year, Bayou Bend’s Carol and Les Ballard Lecture Series presents renowned scholars who speak about important aspects of American decorative and fine arts.

This lecture uncovers the story of Rachel Brewer Peale, one of the most recognizable figures in early American art. Depicted as a portrait-in-progress in her husband Charles Willson Peale’s painting from the 1780s, Rachel appears both present and elusive—a striking metaphor for her place in history. Though she sat for multiple portraits and became one of the most frequently painted women of her era, Rachel remains largely invisible in the art historical record.

Wendy Bellion, from the University of Delaware, draws on an extensive archive of Peale family documents to showcase Rachel not just as a muse and model, but as a central figure in a dynamic artistic family—navigating love, creativity, and heartbreak in Revolutionary-era Philadelphia.

Plan Your Visit

• Admission is free.
• The lecture takes place in the Kilroy Visitor and Education Center at Bayou Bend.
• Watch the lecture via Zoom.
• For more information, or to reserve a seat, email [email protected] or call 713.639.7762.

About the Speaker
Wendy Bellion is professor of art history and Sewell C. Biggs Chair in American Art at the University of Delaware, where she also serves as associate dean for the humanities. Her scholarship explores 18th- and 19th-century art and material culture in North America and the Atlantic World. She is the author of several books and is currently researching the visual culture of early American theater and the life of Rachel Brewer Peale.