When Napoleon invaded Austria, in order to escape conscription, and with help from his father, he crossed the Rhine River into Switzerland, where he remained for about five years, painting portraits, houses, and signs to support himself.

[3] In May 1817, Drexel took a ship from Amsterdam on the John of Baltimore, headed for Philadelphia,[4] where he opened a studio and found work as an art instructor at Bazeley's Female Academy.

A popular portrait painter, his work was frequently shown at Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts annual exhibitions in Philadelphia.

He then left his wife and two children in Philadelphia, to travel to Peru and Chile, painting portraits, including one of General Simón Bolívar.

[3] Drexel married Catherine Hookey (1795–1870) at the Holy Trinity Roman Catholic Church at Sixth and Spruce streets on April 23, 1821.

They had the following children:[7] Drexel died in 1863, a result of injuries suffered in a train accident,[14] and was buried in The Woodlands Cemetery in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.