Clara Peel (1862 – 1938) was two years younger than her brother Paul. She married Toronto publisher Reuben Booth Belden on January 30, 1889. In the summer of 1890, Paul Peel returned to Canada to visit his seriously ill mother, first seeing family in London before arriving in August in Toronto, where he stayed with Clara on Yorkville Avenue. During this time, he was producing paintings intended for an auction organized by Oliver, Coate & Co. in October. Their mother died on October 4, 1890. On October 21, 1890, Peel apparently spent the day painting portraits of his family members: his sister Clara, her husband Reuben, and their young daughter Claire. Peel returned to France in November 1890 and remained there until his death in 1892.

In the accompanying photo, we see Clara wearing her favourite blue and white striped blouse, which she chose to wear to sit for this portrait.

This collection of works by Paul Peel is a rare offering to the Canadian market, as the works have been held in the family of the artist for over a century. They provide an intimate look into the artist’s production in the last years of his life, when he had returned to Canada after his personal triumph of winning a bronze medal at the Paris Salon of 1890.