1816

Belfield Garden

Charles Willson Peale

American, 1741 - 1827

Convinced his "sedentary course of life" was "undermining his health," in January 1810 Charles Willson Peale turned over the management of his Philadelphia Museum to his son Rubens and purchased a 104-acre farm in nearby Germantown he named Belfield.

For the next decade, he actively farmed, invented, created a botanical pleasure garden, and further developed his painting skills. He also conducted an extensive correspondence about the best new agricultural practices with former US president Thomas Jefferson, who had by this point retired to Monticello, his estate in Virginia. Their shared interest reflected the contemporary belief that agriculture was central to the development of a prosperous and virtuous nation.

Peale’s colorful picture includes the family home, farm buildings, a windmill, a decorative pavilion honoring George Washington, a greenhouse, a fountain, and paths. In the foreground, a native and an exotic plant represent the diversity of the botanical specimens he nurtured.