Portrait of a Lady
ca. 1760
Medium
Painting-Miniature
Classification
Painting-Miniature
Department
Smithsonian Collection
Museum
Smithsonian American Art Museum
Credit
Smithsonian American Art Museum, Bequest of Mary Elizabeth Spencer
Accession Number
1999.27.54
Tags
About this artwork
In the 1760s, American artists learned from examples of English and Continental paintings. The distorted features and sketchy details of this portrait suggest it was painted by a novice. The womanâs crystal-clear blue eyes, however, are painted with more detail and meet the viewerâs gaze directly.
Art Historical Context
Step into the intimate world of 18th-century portraiture with *Portrait of a Lady*, delicate miniature painting from around 1760, now housed in the Smithsonian Art Museum. Created by an unidentified artist, this bust-length work captures the era when American painters were eagerly absorbing influences from English and Continental traditions. Miniatures like this one were prized personal treasures—small enough to wear as jewelry or keep close, they offered an affordable way for the emerging colonial middle class to commemorate loved ones. Though the portrait's distorted features and sketchy de...
About the Artist
Unidentified ( ) · –