Sarah Cherry (Mrs. Thomas Gatchell)

Unidentified (British), Sarah Cherry (Mrs. Thomas Gatchell), 1845, watercolor on paper, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Mrs. W. H. Gatchell, 1964.13.1
Copied Unidentified (British), Sarah Cherry (Mrs. Thomas Gatchell), 1845, watercolor on paper, sight 3 343 14 in. (9.58.3 cm) oval, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Mrs. W. H. Gatchell, 1964.13.1
Free to use

Artwork Details

Title
Sarah Cherry (Mrs. Thomas Gatchell)
Artist
Unidentified (British)
Date
1845
Location
Not on view
Dimensions
sight 3 343 14 in. (9.58.3 cm) oval
Credit Line
Gift of Mrs. W. H. Gatchell
Mediums
Mediums Description
watercolor on paper
Classifications
Keywords
  • Dress — accessory — hat
  • Portrait female — Gatchell, Thomas, Mrs. — bust
  • Portrait female — Cherry, Sarah — bust
  • Portrait female — Gatchell, Thomas, Mrs. — profile
  • Portrait female — Cherry, Sarah — profile
Object Number
1964.13.1

Artwork Description

It is not always possible to identify the sitter in a miniature portrait, and research is still being done on some of the works in the Museum’s collection. Miniatures became popular in England during the early 1700s, commissioned by wealthy families on the occasions of births, engagements, weddings, and bereavements. These paintings, elaborately set into lockets or brooches, provided the wearer with a sentimental connection to a loved one. The back of the miniature often revealed a lock of the sitter’s hair, symbolizing affection, commitment, or loss. The daguerreotype, invented in 1839, provided a cheaper, faster alternative, and portrait miniatures grew less popular. At the turn of the twentieth century, with the establishment of the American Society of Miniature Painters, miniatures enjoyed a brief revival.