This portrait of nineteen-year-old Titian Ramsay Peale II (1799–1885), son of Charles Willson Peale and his second wife, Elizabeth DePeyster, belonged to a group of portraits Charles painted for his Philadelphia Museum to commemorate the government-sponsored Stephen H. Long Expedition of 1819–20. This expedition, designed to explore the Rocky Mountains and Great Plains, complimented Charles’s desire to educate his museum visitors about American nature through an extensive display of specimens.

Although Titian was already respected for his skills as an artist/naturalist, his role as the expedition’s assistant naturalist was secured for him by Charles during an extended visit to Washington, DC, in the winter of 1818–19, when he painted other members of the team.

Titian’s thoughtful demeanor seems appropriate for a young man on the brink of a major, possibly dangerous, endeavor. But his decorative pocket handkerchief and insignia on his uniform’s collar enliven the image.