Marcia Burns

Art Historical Context

This delicate oval miniature shows Marcia Burns gazing calmly toward the viewer, her head turned slightly to the right. Soft curls frame her face, and she wears a white gown with gathered ruffles across the bodice and a small brooch at one shoulder. The artist has used fine brushwork in watercolor on ivory to model her features and the folds of fabric against a gently graded blue background, all contained within a simple gold frame. James Peale painted the portrait in 1797. Known for his refined miniature work, Peale specialized in these intimate likenesses that served as personal mementos during the early years of the American republic. The small scale and luminous surface allowed owners to carry or display a cherished image in everyday settings. Now in the National Gallery of Art’s collection as part of the Corcoran gift, the work preserves both the sitter’s likeness and the refined technique of late-eighteenth-century American portraiture in miniature.

About the Artist

James Peale · 1749–1831

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...