James Bogert, Jr.
Henry Inman, ca. 1835
About this artwork
This delicate miniature portrait, *James Bogert, Jr by Henry Inman, the refined likeness of a young American man around 1835. Painted in watercolor on ivory—a prized medium for intimate 19th-century portraits—the artwork measures just under 3 by 2.5 inches, small enough to fit in a locket or brooch. Inman, a leading New York portraitist and founder of the National Academy of, excelled in these miniatures, blending European traditions with American realism to create luminous, detailed images that preserved personal memories. In the 1830s, as photography was emerging but not yet widespread, miniatures like this served as cherished family heirlooms, often worn close to the heart. Inman's technique on ivory allowed for translucent glazes that mimicked the glow of oil paintings, highlighting Bogert's poised expression and fine attire against a soft background. Housed in The American Wing of the Metropolitan Museum of Art since a 1944 gift from Herbert L. Pratt, it exemplifies the elegance of antebellum portraiture and the era's growing middle-class taste for accessible art.