Rembrandt Peale 1778 - 1860

Caspar Wister Hodge (the sitter's son)
By descent in the family to the present owner

Charles Hodge (1797-1878), theologian and leader in the Presbyterian Church, was born in Philadelphia, son of Dr. Hugh Hodge, a surgeon in the Continental Army and later in Philadelphia, and Mary Blanchard. Charles was educated at Princeton (Class of 1815) and went on to attend the Princeton Theological Seminary, where he graduated in 1819. His training in theology, especially his instruction by Archibald Alexander, was later to shape his thought and life's work. He became an instructor at the seminary in 1820 and taught there all his life, establishing a powerfully conservative theology not only within the Presbyterian Church, but also in other churches. In 1825, Dr. Hodge started the publication, later to be known as the Biblical Repertory and Princeton Review, which he edited for more than 40 years. He also authored several works, including Commentary on the Epistle of the Romans and Systematic Theology, which achieved wide-spread circulation.  Dr. Hodge held a commanding position in the Presbyterian Church through both active participation and his articles in the Review. In 1822, he married the great-grand-daughter of Benjamin Franklin, Sarah Bache, daughter of Dr. William Bache and Catharine Wistar. Two of their eight children, Archibald Alexander and Caspar Wistar, became professors at Princeton Theological Seminary.