Portrait of a Young Girl
Mary Jane Simes
1825
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
1999.27.46
Tags
bustbust
About this artwork
The identity of the young girl in this miniature is unknown, but it has been suggested that she was a member of the Peale family, as this miniature was purchased from Peale descendants. Children in the 1800s were often dressed as “small adults,” and here the sitter wears a child’s version of a high-waisted Empire gown, fashionable among ladies in the early part of the century.