Col. Josiah Parker
ca. 1789
Medium
Painting-Miniature
Classification
Painting-Miniature
Department
Smithsonian Collection
Museum
Smithsonian American Art Museum
Credit
Smithsonian American Art Museum, Museum purchase through the Catherine Walden Myer Fund
Accession Number
1957.3.3
Tags
About this artwork
Josiah Parker was a Revolutionary soldier and politician. He served in Virginia under George Washington, becoming a major in 1776 and a colonel the following year. He saw action at the battles of Trenton, Princeton, and Brandywine. His short temper got the better of him, however, and he resigned from the army in 1778. Thereafter he served as a naval officer for Norfolk, Virginia, and was a member of the Virginia House of Delegates. As a member of the First Congress, he voted to place the U.S. Ca...
Art Historical Context
**Col. Josiah Parker** is a delicate miniature portrait painted around 1789 by John Ramage, a skilled artist renowned for his intimate, detailed likenesses of Revolutionary-era figures. These small-scale works, often executed in watercolor on ivory, were prized as personal keepsakes or jewelry, capturing the essence of their subjects with remarkable precision. Housed in the Smithsonian American Art Museum, this bust-length depiction shows Parker in his military uniform, evoking the fresh triumphs of the American Revolution. Josiah Parker himself embodies the era's turbulent spirit. A Virginia...
About the Artist
John Ramage · 1748–1842
Ireland ca. 1748–1802 Montreal