Elizabeth Oliphant
1795
Medium
Painting-Miniature
Classification
Painting-Miniature
Department
Smithsonian Collection
Museum
Smithsonian American Art Museum
Credit
Smithsonian American Art Museum, Bequest of Bertha E. Jaques
Accession Number
1942.2.3
Tags
About this artwork
Elizabeth Oliphant was the sister of Robert Oliphant, whose miniature, painted by Raphaelle Peale, is also in this collection. They were the eldest children of William Oliphant, a wealthy Philadelphia landowner. The year after this miniature was painted, Elizabeth married William Flintham, and it is likely that this painting commemorated her engagement. This miniature remained in the family for several generations, until it passed to a close friend who bequeathed it, and the miniature of her bro...
About the Artist
James Peale
James Peale was an American painter born in 1749, the younger brother of the more famous Charles Willson Peale, and a member of one of the most remarkable artistic families in the history of American art. Trained largely by his brother, James worked for many years in Charles Willson's shadow, assisting with portraits and miniatures in the Philadelphia studio before developing his own independent p...