Featured Book
The Artist and His Museum
Charles Willson Peale and the First Public Museum in the United States
Long before the Smithsonian, one man dared to imagine that ordinary Americans deserved a place to wonder. Charles Willson Peale was a Revolutionary War veteran, a portrait painter of the Founding Fathers, and a man of insatiable curiosity. This is the story of how he built something extraordinary — and why it still matters today.
About the Author
Meet Diane Webber
For decades, Diane Webber has been inviting young people of all ages to dig deep into history. As an educator, she is devoted to the integration of history into understanding the arts, literature, sports, science, mathematics―nothing truly makes sense without the backstory.
Diane considers herself a bonafide museum nerd. When she's not researching in dusty archives or trying to talk her way beyond the "staff only" signs in historic sites, she loves to get lost in a good book, hit the road, or score an exciting baseball game.
Read Full BioPraise for the Book
What Readers Are Saying
”Slip behind the curtain into a world of wonder, history, and determination. Its own cabinet of curiosities, Charles Willson Peale's journey to creating the Philadelphia Museum is a fascinating, well researched read!”
”For newcomers to the Peales' stories, it is “a chain of flowers,” leading readers through the connections among a surprising array of historic people and moments as if guided by Charles Willson Peale himself.”
”Like a great museum, An [The] Artist and His Museum brings the past vividly to life...The book stands as a testament to the creativity and initiative of the artist Charles Willson Peale—and of its author, Diane Webber—inviting that same spirit of curiosity to be passed on to young readers.”
”With wit and style, Webber gives us the well-researched and fascinating story of the fearless and stupendous life of portrait artist Charles Willson Peale, a man with an unquenchable thirst for new ideas and learning. Sure, Peale failed at many things but he never quit. Instead, each failure sparked a new idea and ultimately a collection that became the Philadelphia Museum.”
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