Sarah Miriam Peale was the daughter of miniaturist James Peale and the niece of painter Charles Willson Peale. Like her two older sisters and several cousins before her, she began learning the artist's craft at an early age. By the time she made this self-portrait in her late teens, her skill was considerable, and in the mid-1820s she was on her way to becoming one of Baltimore's leading portraitists. One of the first women in America to earn an independent living as an artist, she was especially noted for her ability to capture the textures of fabric and fur. After moving to St. Louis in 1847, she concentrated increasingly on painting still-lifes.

The gentle smile seen in this self-likeness became a trademark of Peale's portraiture. When her uncle, Charles Willson Peale, saw the picture in its finished state, he was quite impressed and reported to one of his sons that it was "wonderfully like."

Self-portrait
Oil on canvas, circa 1818
National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution