Mrs. Alexander Rose (Margaret Smith)

Pierre Henri, Mrs. Alexander Rose (Margaret Smith), ca. 1788, watercolor on ivory, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Museum purchase through the Catherine Walden Myer Fund, 1933.7.1
Copied Pierre Henri, Mrs. Alexander Rose (Margaret Smith), ca. 1788, watercolor on ivory, sight 2 x 1 5⁄8 in. (5.1 x 4.0 cm) oval, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Museum purchase through the Catherine Walden Myer Fund, 1933.7.1
Free to use

Artwork Details

Title
Mrs. Alexander Rose (Margaret Smith)
Artist
Date
ca. 1788
Location
Not on view
Dimensions
sight 2 x 1 5⁄8 in. (5.1 x 4.0 cm) oval
Credit Line
Museum purchase through the Catherine Walden Myer Fund
Mediums
Mediums Description
watercolor on ivory
Classifications
Keywords
  • Portrait female — Rose, Alexander, Mrs. — bust
  • Portrait female — Smith, Margaret — bust
Object Number
1933.7.1
Linked Open Data
https://edan.si.edu/saam/id/object/1933.7.1

Artwork Description

Margaret Smith (1747-?) was the thirteenth child of a prominent New York Loyalist, Judge William Smith (1728-1793), and his first wife, Mary Hett. Her marriage in 1779 to the South Carolina merchant and patriot Alexander Rose likely put great strain on both families. The Roses remained in South Carolina and had at least two miniatures painted by Pierre Henri for family members. This one remained in her daughter’s family. The other version, given to her parents, is in the Yale University Art Gallery. Both miniatures feature plaited hairwork visible through the back of the locket.