Born in Chestertown, Maryland, in 1749, James or "Jemmie" Peale is best known as a painter of miniatures and as one of the founders of the American still-life tradition. He was the younger brother and constant companion of the celebrated artist-entrepreneur Charles Willson Peale.

Together with other members of his family, Peale played a significant role in the establishment of Philadelphia as a major center for still-life production in the nineteenth century. Peale's mastery of this genre can be seen in his artfully designed and skillfully painted Still Life of Vegetables. Placed near the edge of the composition, the peppers, eggplant, cabbage, watermelon, and other produce with shiny, textured surfaces and perfect forms create an alluring display, attracting the viewer's gaze and touch. With lighting and tonal effects, Peale emphasized the ripeness and freshness of the produce and, as though to underscore the recent harvesting of these vegetables, he painted the sugar beet with healthy, not wilted, leaves and roots still attached. Rather than adopting still life as a metaphor for death or life's transience, he used it to celebrate the bounty of nature.