Child Holding a Book

About this artwork

It is not always possible to identify the sitter in a miniature portrait, and research is still being done on some of the works in the Museum’s collection. Miniatures became popular in England during the early 1700s, commissioned by wealthy families on the occasions of births, engagements, weddings, and bereavements. These paintings, elaborately set into lockets or brooches, provided the wearer with a sentimental connection to a loved one. The back of the miniature often revealed a lock of the...

Art Historical Context

Behold the delicate charm of *Child Holding a Book*, miniature portrait from the Smithsonian American Art Museum collection, gifted through the bequest of Mary Elizabeth Spencer. This artist's work captures a young sitter in a waist-length view, tenderly cradling a book that evokes innocence, curiosity, and perhaps the promise of education in a bygone era. Like many such miniatures, the identity of this child remains a gentle mystery, with ongoing research inviting us to ponder their story. Miniature paintings flourished in England from the early 1700s, cherished by affluent families to comme...

About the Artist

Unidentified ( ) · –