Portrait of a Gentleman
ca. 1840
Medium
Painting-Miniature
Classification
Painting-Miniature
Department
Smithsonian Collection
Museum
Smithsonian American Art Museum
Credit
Smithsonian American Art Museum, Museum purchase through the Catherine Walden Myer Fund
Accession Number
1959.7.27
Tags
About this artwork
An unknown artist painted a clientâs collared coat, black cravat, and combed-over hairstyle with lively brushstrokes, blurring the details in the portrait. The slightly impatient expression in the young manâs face suggests that this miniature might have been painted in a hurry.
Art Historical Context
### Portrait of a Gentleman, ca. 1840 Step into the intimate world of 19th-century portraiture with *Portrait of a Gentleman*, a delicate miniature painting from the Smithsonian American Art Museum's collection. Created around 1840 by an unidentified artist, this bust-length work captures a young man in period attire: a collared coat, black cravat, and neatly combed-over hairstyle. Miniatures like this were treasured personal keepsakes, often worn in lockets or carried in pockets, making portraiture accessible to the growing middle class in antebellum America. The artist's lively brushstroke...
About the Artist
Unidentified ( ) · –