Portrait of a Lady

Unidentified (French), Portrait of a Lady, ca. 1775, watercolor on ivory, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Museum purchase through the Catherine Walden Myer Fund, 1954.6.5
Copied 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
Free to use

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
Classifications
Keywords
  • Portrait female — unidentified — bust
Object Number
1954.6.5
Linked Open Data
https://edan.si.edu/saam/id/object/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.