Sister of the Van Buren Family

Unidentified, Sister of the Van Buren Family, 19th century, watercolor on ivory, image: 4 x 2 1516 in. (10.17.4 cm), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Bequest of Mary Elizabeth Spencer, 1999.27.71.2
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Artwork Details

Title
Sister of the Van Buren Family
Artist
Unidentified
Date
19th century
Location
Not on view
Dimensions
image: 4 x 2 1516 in. (10.17.4 cm)
Credit Line
Bequest of Mary Elizabeth Spencer
Mediums
Mediums Description
watercolor on ivory
Classifications
Subjects
  • Portrait female — van Buren, — waist
  • Portrait female — van Buren, — child
Object Number
1999.27.71.2

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.

More Artworks from the Collection

George Catlin, Portrait of Mary Catlin, ca. 1827, watercolor on ivory, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Mr. and Mrs. David C. Morse, 1984.139.2
Portrait of Mary Catlin
Dateca. 1827
watercolor on ivory
Not on view
George Catlin, Portrait of a Gentleman, ca. 1830, watercolor on ivory, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Bernard N. Burnstine, 1946.1.1
Portrait of a Gentleman
Dateca. 1830
watercolor on ivory
Not on view
Portrait of a Lady
Date1877
watercolor on ivory
Not on view
Henry Brintnell Bounetheau, Portrait of a Lady, ca. 1850, watercolor on ivory, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Mrs. Henry Du Pré Bounetheau, 1946.3.11
Portrait of a Lady
Dateca. 1850
watercolor on ivory
Not on view