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Portrait of a Gentleman
ca. 1850
- Medium
- watercolor on ivory
- Classification
- Paintings
- Dimensions
- sight 1 1/4 x 1 in. (3.1 x 2.4 cm) oval
- Museum
- Smithsonian Institution, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Painting and Sculpture
- Credit line
- Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Mrs. Henry L. Milmore
- Rights
- CC0 (Smithsonian Open Access), as the museum states it.
- Who can see it
- Tweens profiles and older: its subjects are known and suit older children. How works are placed
View at the Smithsonian Institution
About this work
In this miniature, which was probably worn by a loved one, the sitter’s blue eyes, fashionably disheveled hairstyle, and elegant clothing suggest he made an effort to present himself as a worthy suitor. This portrait was set in a bracelet or locket to be worn close to the body, reinforcing the intimacy between the wearer and the sitter.
