Mourning Pin for ER

Unidentified, Mourning Pin for ER, late 18th - early 19th century, watercolor on ivory, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Bequest of Mary Elizabeth Spencer, 1999.27.83
Copied Unidentified, Mourning Pin for ER, late 18th - early 19th century, watercolor on ivory, image (oval): 1 1⁄2 x 1 1⁄8 in. (3.8 x 2.9 cm), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Bequest of Mary Elizabeth Spencer, 1999.27.83
Free to use

Artwork Details

Title
Mourning Pin for ER
Artist
Unidentified
Date
late 18th - early 19th century
Location
Not on view
Dimensions
image (oval): 1 1⁄2 x 1 1⁄8 in. (3.8 x 2.9 cm)
Credit Line
Bequest of Mary Elizabeth Spencer
Mediums
Mediums Description
watercolor on ivory
Classifications
Subjects
  • Primitive — mourning
  • Recreation — leisure — letter reading and writing
  • Figure female — full length
  • State of being — emotion — sorrow
  • Animal — sheep
  • Landscape — tree
Object Number
1999.27.83
Linked Open Data
https://edan.si.edu/saam/id/object/1999.27.83

Artwork Description

Miniature paintings memorializing a friend or family member grew popular in the nineteenth century when the death of Prince Albert sent Queen Victoria into deep mourning. A name and death date on a locket, pin, or ring marked the passing of a loved one, and artists sometimes mixed a lock of the deceased person’s hair in with the pigment. The paintings often showed the bereaved person next to a tomb or cinerary urn, as in Mourning Locket for A. R. and Mourning Ring, and sometimes included symbols of grieving such as a dove or weeping willow.