philamuseum:It appears as though the model for this magpie was actually a family member—Mary Jane Pe
philamuseum:It appears as though the model for this magpie was actually a family member—Mary Jane Peale, the daughter of the artist, referred to this bird as “Dickey” in her papers. Learn more in “The Art of the Peales,” on view in the American art galleries. “English Magpie Eating Cake,” 1865, by Rubens Peale (Promised gift of the McNeil Americana Collection) -- source link