The porcelain basket in this picture, made for an unknown person whose name began with the letter “L,” is typical of Chinese export ceramics available to American consumers. Throughout his career, Raphaelle Peale preferred still life painting over more lucrative portraiture, despite the objections of his father, Charles Willson Peale, whose encyclopedic interests included all areas of art and science. Raphaelle supplemented his income by managing his father’s collection of art and artifacts —portraits of famous Americans, stuffed birds, and even the bones of a prehistoric dinosaur — all housed in the building that still stands at 225 North Holliday Street in downtown Baltimore. Opened in 1814, this was the first purpose-built museum ever erected in the Western Hemisphere.