George Partridge Richardson
ca. 1835
Medium
Painting-Miniature
Classification
Painting-Miniature
Department
Smithsonian Collection
Museum
Smithsonian American Art Museum
Credit
Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Mrs. Henry L. Milmore
Accession Number
1950.4.25
Tags
About this artwork
Born in 1811, George Partridge Richardson Jr. was a merchant and grocer in Boston. He was the only son of George Partridge and Charity Bush Richardson, who helped to establish the Partridge Academy in Duxbury, Massachusetts. His youth and fine dress suggest the portrait may have been painted on the occasion of his marriage, and the pin on his shirt may be a miniature of his fiancée, Eliza Green.
Art Historical Context
This exquisite miniature portrait captures George Partridge Richardson Jr., born in 1811, a young Boston merchant and grocer poised on the cusp of adulthood. Painted around 1835 by an unidentified, the bust-length depiction highlights his youthful features and finely tailored attire—a black coat with a crisp white collar and a prominent shirt pin—evoking the refined style of early 19th American gentry. Such portraits were cherished keepsakes, often commissioned to commemorate life's milestones. The painting's intimate scale, typical of miniature paintings on ivory or vellum, underscores its p...
About the Artist
Unidentified ( ) · –