Reuben Belden, who married Paul Peel’s sister Clara Peel in 1889, and his brother Howard were born in Connecticut. Together they had a publishing firm, Belden Bros., which became known for the ambitious two-volume set Picturesque Canada: The Country As It Was and Is, published in 1882. The Belden Bros. also published historical atlases of Ontario counties between 1875 and 1881. These atlases, sold by subscription, were very vogue at the time and are important in Canadian history.

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. Peel painted this portrait of Reuben Belden in October 1890 at the same time as the portraits of Belden’s wife and daugher. He returned to Paris shortly after, on November 3, 1890.

In the accompanying photo, we see a portrait of Reuben, as well as an image of Reuben and Clara Belden with their daugher Claire Peel (Belden) Shives.