Portrait of a Child

Art Historical Context

This delicate *Portrait of a Child*, created around 1850 by an unknown American artist, captures the innocence of youth in a tiny watercolor on ivory miniature, measuring just 2½ x 2⅛ inches. Such intimate works were treasured keepsakes, often worn asoches, lockets, or displayed in cases, serving as personal mementos family members far apart—especially poignant in an era of westward expansion and frequent separations. Watercolor on ivory exemplifies a refined 19th-century technique, where the smooth, luminous surface of polished ivory allowed artists to layer translucent pigments for lifelike...