Unidentified (French), Portrait of a Lady, ca. 1775, watercolor on ivory, 2 3⁄8 in. (6.0 cm) diam., Smithsonian American Art Museum, Museum purchase through the Catherine Walden Myer Fund, 1954.6.5
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Artwork Details
- Title
- Portrait of a Lady
- Artist
- Unidentified (French)
- Date
- ca. 1775
- Location
- Not on view
- Dimensions
- 2 3⁄8 in. (6.0 cm) diam.
- Credit Line
- Museum purchase through the Catherine Walden Myer Fund
- Mediums
- Mediums Description
- watercolor on ivory
- Subjects
- Portrait female — unidentified — bust
- Object Number
- 1954.6.5
Artwork Description
In this miniature the woman’s sparkling blue eyes draw us into the image. Her hairstyle reflects the French vogue for elaborately teased and “built-up” hair. In a letter from 1783, Thomas Jefferson noted that the simpler colonial styles made a woman’s head “as flat as a flounder.” The sitter imitated European fashions to convey her wealth and status, at a time when many colonial Americans were adopting a plainer style to express their desire for independence.
