Brother of the Van Buren Family

Unidentified, Brother of the Van Buren Family, 19th century, watercolor on ivory, image (oval): 4 x 3 in. (10.27.6 cm), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Bequest of Mary Elizabeth Spencer, 1999.27.71.1
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Artwork Details

Title
Brother of the Van Buren Family
Artist
Unidentified
Date
19th century
Location
Not on view
Dimensions
image (oval): 4 x 3 in. (10.27.6 cm)
Credit Line
Bequest of Mary Elizabeth Spencer
Mediums
Mediums Description
watercolor on ivory
Classifications
Subjects
  • Portrait male — van Buren, — child
  • Portrait male — van Buren, — waist
Object Number
1999.27.71.1

Artwork Description

It is not always possible to identify the sitter in a miniature portrait, and research is still being done on some of the works in the Museum’s collection. Miniatures became popular in England during the early 1700s, commissioned by wealthy families on the occasions of births, engagements, weddings, and bereavements. These paintings, elaborately set into lockets or brooches, provided the wearer with a sentimental connection to a loved one. The back of the miniature often revealed a lock of the sitter’s hair, symbolizing affection, commitment, or loss. The daguerreotype, invented in 1839, provided a cheaper, faster alternative, and portrait miniatures grew less popular. At the turn of the twentieth century, with the establishment of the American Society of Miniature Painters, miniatures enjoyed a brief revival.

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