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John James Barralet's Later Life and Death:
According to the Dictionary of Irish Biography, John James Barralet had two wives, the second of whom predeceased him and from whom he at least had two sons. Barralet moved to America and settled in Philadelphia after finding it difficult to make a life in Ireland. His primary line of work changed to illustration and engraving when he quickly realised Philadelphians showed little interest in painting. In Philadelphia, Barralet received significant commissions, such as those to paint the Market Street Bridge and the residence of publisher John Dunlap (qv), the latter of which was completed after 1806.

Some of Barralets later works, including his engravings of George Washington that were among his most well-known creations; the first of them was advertised in April 1795. A second collection of prints appeared in 1799. His most famous work, "The apotheosis of Washington," was published in 1802 and the portrait, which was made to honour the president's passing, remained in print for a while. He also designed the neighbourhood Hibernian Society's membership card in 1798.

Later, the Philadelphia Academy of Art recruited Barralet to teach drawing from antiques there. He became well-known in later years for his peculiar behaviour and untidy appearance. He was "a guy of talent without judgement or anything like common prudence; prodigiously generous, and graspingly destitute," according to his American associates (Rayley, 19). On January 16, 1815, he passed away in Philadelphia following a number of years of poor health.

In "John James Barralet in Dublin and Philadelphia" by Robert L. Raley, he tells us that The Water Works on Centre Square may be one of Barralet's final engravings. It is known that poverty and illness had a negative impact on Barralet's health toward the end of his life and that He had "become the sloven to a large degree." The scant remnants of Barralet's work that have survived in Philadelphia may only serve to highlight his significant contributions to the growth of original American art.