he portraits in this exhibit are grouped by theater of battle: northern, middle and southern. Most of the featured officers fought in several battles in one or more theaters. However, they have been placed in the theater where they fought the most significant battles of their careers. They are also listed by artist and by subject.

oward the end of the war, Peale began collecting portraits of leading figures of the Revolution as a public attraction. By 1784, he expanded the collection to portray people involved in the Revolution's military, diplomatic, and political events. Peale's Philadelphia Museum, which moved to the second floor of Independence Hall in 1802, eventually contained more than 250 portraits of his contemporaries.

oday, 94 of Peale's original Philadelphia Museum portraits are in Independence National Historical Park collections. The portrait collection is displayed in the restored historic Second Bank of the United States.

George Washington
by James Peale

George Washington

Map of the Revolutionary War theaters of battle