Apart from painting portraits, landscapes, and still life pictures, James Peale also made watercolor on ivory portrait miniatures. Instructed by his brother Charles Willson Peale (1741–1827) to paint miniatures, James would go on to guide his daughter Anna in the practice. Today Anna is known as one of America’s first professional and most prolific woman miniature painters. Her bold, detailed works were commissioned in cities from Boston to Washington, DC.

This affectionate late-life portrait of her father fits snugly in its small oval case. Painted in a softer style than most of her work, James’s head inclines slightly, as if in gentle recognition of the viewer. His firmly closed mouth projects a sense of calm and satisfaction while the luminous ivory surface softens his face and delicately painted white hair.