Portrait of a Young Girl

Mary Jane Simes, Portrait of a Young Girl, 1825, watercolor on ivory, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Bequest of Mary Elizabeth Spencer, 1999.27.46
Copied Mary Jane Simes, Portrait of a Young Girl, 1825, watercolor on ivory, sight 2 1⁄2 x 2 1⁄8 in. (6.5 x 5.3 cm) oval, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Bequest of Mary Elizabeth Spencer, 1999.27.46
Free to use

Artwork Details

Title
Portrait of a Young Girl
Artist
Date
1825
Location
Not on view
Dimensions
sight 2 1⁄2 x 2 1⁄8 in. (6.5 x 5.3 cm) oval
Credit Line
Bequest of Mary Elizabeth Spencer
Mediums
Mediums Description
watercolor on ivory
Classifications
Subjects
  • Portrait female — unidentified — bust
  • Figure female — child — bust
Object Number
1999.27.46
Linked Open Data
https://edan.si.edu/saam/id/object/1999.27.46

Artwork Description

The identity of the young girl in this miniature is unknown, but it has been suggested that she was a member of the Peale family, as this miniature was purchased from Peale descendants. Children in the 1800s were often dressed as “small adults,” and here the sitter wears a child’s version of a high-waisted Empire gown, fashionable among ladies in the early part of the century.