Ada Brown
1847
Medium
Watercolor on ivory
Dimensions
1 15/16 in. (4.9 cm) x 1 7/16 in. (3.61 cm)
Classification
Painting, miniature
Culture
American
Department
The American Wing
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Purchase, Martha J. Fleischman Gift, 2003
Accession Number
2003.51
Tags
Art Historical Context
In the mid-19th century, photography became widespread, intimate watercolor miniatures like *Ada Brown* (1847) by John Brown served as treasured family heirlooms. This delicate portrait, measuring just under 2 inches tall, captures the serene likeness of a young girl, likely from a prosperous American family. Brown, a leading miniaturist active in Philadelphia and New York excelled at rendering lifelike expressions and fine details on a tiny scale, evoking the innocence and poise valued in Victorian-era childhood portraits. Painted in watercolor on ivory—a luxurious medium prized for its smoo...