Master of the Mastodon: An Evening with Wyck’s Good Neighbor, Charles Willson Peale
(An illustrated talk given by Wyck’s 2015 Spring Speaker, Robert McCracken Peck)

In 1790, Charles Willson Peale announced to the citizens of Philadelphia that he was prepared to open a museum of “objects of natural history and things useful and curious” which he hoped might one day be recognized as a cultural and scientific repository for the nation. It was to represent the culmination of a long and distinguished career in art and science that made Peale one of the most remarkably versatile figures of his age. Peale’s Philadelphia Museum, which flourished well into the 19th century, raised questions and set standards for other American museums that are still applicable today. Using images of Peale’s remarkable collections of paintings and artifacts, science historian and acclaimed speaker Robert McCracken Peck (left), Senior Fellow of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University, will discuss Peale’s seminal contributions to American art and science and place his museum in its broader cultural, artistic and scientific context.

Beginning at 6:30 PM, before the talk begins, there will be a light supper and reception featuring an exhibition of fascinating Wyck Collection artifacts that belonged to Reuben Haines III.

Price: $30 members, $40 non-menbers. Limited space - Register now!

wyck.org/spring-speaker