Portrait of a Gentleman
ca. 1845
Medium
Watercolor on ivory
Dimensions
3 3/16 x 2 11/16 (8.2 x 6.9 cm)
Classification
Painting, miniature
Culture
American
Department
The American Wing
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of Gloria Manney, 2006
Accession Number
2006.235.47
Tags
Art Historical Context
**Portrait of a Gentleman** Edward S. Dodge, created around 1845, exemplifies the delicate art of American miniature portraiture. This petite watercolor on ivory, measuring just 3 3/16 x 2 11/16 inches, captures the refined likeness of an unidentified sitter, likely a prosperous member of mid-19th-century society Dodge, a skilled Boston-based miniaturist, specialized in intimate works, which were prized as personal keepsakes—often pinned to lapels, tucked into lockets, or displayed in cases before photography fully took hold. The choice of ivory as a support was no accident; its smooth, lumin...
About the Artist
Edward S. Dodge · 1816–1857
1816–1857