Peale Family Paintings
Auction April 14, 2026
Lots 24-42, 156, 157

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Peale Family Paintings from the Estate of J. Ashley & Pamela Patterson Roach

Auction of Peale Family Paintings from the Estate of J. Ashley & Pamela Patterson Roach on April 14, 2026
Mary Jane Peale’s 1849 Portrait of Phillis, an Enslaved Woman, Achieves $349,750
Works by Three Generations of the Peale Family of Artists
Part of the Two-Day An American Story Auction Celebrating Our Nation's Semiquincentennial

NEW YORK, NY – Doyle was honored to present works by three generations of the Peale family of artists in the April 14, 2026 auction of Peale Family Paintings from the Estate of J. Ashley & Pamela Patterson Roach. This exceptional and historically significant collection brought together paintings and related materials preserved by the descendants of Charles Willson Peale (1741-1827), his son Rubens Peale (1784–1865), and granddaughter Mary Jane Peale (1826–1902).

Portrait of Phillis by Mary Jane Peale
Determined competition from private collectors, art advisors and distinguished institutions drove an 1849 portrait of Phillis, an enslaved woman, by Mary Jane Peale soaring over its estimate to achieve a stunning $349,750 – An Auction Record for the Artist.

Family records show that the sitter, Phillis, was enslaved by the family of Eliza Patterson, wife of Rubens Peale. She accompanied the young Peale family from the Patterson home in Pennsylvania to New York and, following the collapse of Peale’s New York Museum in the Panic of 1837, relocated with them to a farm near Pottsville, PA, provided by the Pattersons. There is no record of her emancipation date; however, Phillis remained with Rubens, Eliza and Mary Jane until her death in 1854. Mary Jane’s diaries record Phillis’ Christian baptism in 1848, and the family honored her with burial in a marked grave at the United Presbyterian Cemetery in Pottsville.

This portrait is a very early work by Mary Jane Peale, completed before she fully committed to painting professionally at age 25 in 1852. Her diaries, now held by the American Philosophical Society, document the creation of the portrait. In two separate entries, she described it as “Phillis my first picture from life” and “a small portrait of Phillis…, aged about eighty, very easily done & pronounced excellent, Fall 1849 at the farm.” The work stands as a rare portrait of an enslaved woman whose identity is preserved through historical records.

Doyle was pleased to offer this fine and important group of paintings by three generations of America’s premiere family of artists as part of the two-day An American Story auction celebrating our nation’s Semiquincentennial. Learn more about the Peale family, click here

American Paintings & Prints / April 14
The sale of the Peale Family Paintings was a feature of the April 14 auction of American Paintings & Prints Including Property Deaccessioned from Historic Hudson Valley. Read More

Session II: American Silver, Furniture & Decorative Arts / April 15
A second session of the An American Story auction on Wednesday, April 15 offered American Silver, Furniture & Decorative Arts including Property Deaccessioned from Historic Hudson Valley. Read More

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Consignments are currently being accepted for future auctions. We invite you to contact us for complimentary auction estimates. Our Specialists are always available to discuss the sale of a single item or an entire collection.