The “Peale Gallery” at the Peale, the room where we have shared the stories of the Peale family and building, has become the site office for the final round of renovations now underway. With Charles Willson Peale watching from the replica of his 1822 self-portrait, The Artist in his Museum (the original is in the collection of the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Art), the construction supervisors follow the renovation plans drawn up by our architects at SM+P.
The building has been mostly emptied, but a few heavy objects remain, including that massive Peale replica painting at left in this photo (part of the amazing “Mermaids, Mummies, and Mastodons” exhibition that told the story of early American museums at the Peale in the early 1990s; you can still get the seminal catalogue of the exhibition in our online shop). You can also just make out an ornate metal window guard serving as a screen in the fireplace this room. It is one of many that were brought to the Peale to save them when the 1820s building whose windows they protected was being torn down – and they weigh a ton, almost literally!
How will we continue to safeguard – let alone move – these weighty objects during the renovations? Stay tuned to find out in the Peale’s renovation chronicles, coming to your inbox in our e-newsletter and available in the News section on our website!