Member of the Carroll Family

Copied Unidentified, Member of the Carroll Family, ca. 1825, watercolor on ivory, 2 3⁄8 x 2 in. (6.0 x 5.1 cm) oval, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Museum purchase through the Catherine Walden Myer Fund, 1944.1.1
Free to use

Artwork Details

Title
Member of the Carroll Family
Artist
Unidentified
Date
ca. 1825
Location
Not on view
Dimensions
2 3⁄8 x 2 in. (6.0 x 5.1 cm) oval
Credit Line
Museum purchase through the Catherine Walden Myer Fund
Mediums
Mediums Description
watercolor on ivory
Classifications
Subjects
  • Portrait male — Carroll — bust
Object Number
1944.1.1
Linked Open Data
https://edan.si.edu/saam/id/object/1944.1.1

Artwork Description

The cream- and rose-colored hues in the background of this miniature complement the sitter’s dreamy expression. The unknown artist chose to emphasize the gentleman’s high forehead, a physical characteristic that, in the nineteenth century, was thought to reveal a poetic intelligence. On the miniature’s reverse, the artist painted a full portrait of a young woman bordered by trees and sky. The natural setting and the woman’s long flowing gown create a sentimental portrait of the gentleman’s lover.