RevolutionCrossroads/si_us_revolutionary_era_collections huggingface dataset:
Mrs. Philip John Schuyler (Catherine van Rensselaer)
Collection: Smithsonian American Art Museum
Object type: Painting-Miniature
Date: ca. 1795
Artist: Walter Robertson, Irish, born Dublin, Ireland ca. 1750-died Fatehpur, India 1801/02
Sitter: Mrs. Philip van Rensselaer Schuyler
Mrs. Philip van Rensselaer Schuyler
Medium: watercolor on ivory
Dimensions: image: 3 15/16 x 3 1/16 in. (10.0 x 7.8 cm)
Credit line: Smithsonian American Art Museum, Bequest of Mary Elizabeth Spencer
Topics: Women
Older people
Clothing and dress
Dress accessories
Portraits
Hats
Luce Center Label: The marriage of Catherine van Rensselaer (1734-1803) and Philip Schuyler in 1755 united two of the oldest and most prominent families of Albany, New York. Their home, Schuyler Mansion, is now a landmark. “Kitty,” as she was known, was considered quite a beauty in her youth, but here she is a much older woman. She gave birth to fifteen children, three of whom were born after she had turned forty years old.
[None]
Portrait of a Gentleman
Collection: Smithsonian American Art Museum
Object type: Painting-Miniature
Date: ca. 1795
Artist: Henry Benbridge, born Philadelphia, PA 1743-died Philadelphia, PA 1812
Sitter: unidentified
Medium: watercolor on ivory
Dimensions: image (oval): 1 3/4 x 1 3/8 in. (4.4 x 3.5 cm)
Credit line: Smithsonian American Art Museum, Bequest of Mary Elizabeth Spencer
Topics: Men
Portraits
Luce Center Label: This portrait of a gruff-looking gentleman was originally attributed to Edward Savage, but research indicates it is by Henry Benbridge. The sitter’s wary expression and pugnacious jaw suggest a personality only slightly tamed by elegant clothing.
[None]
Mary Walsh McBlair
Collection: Smithsonian American Art Museum
Object type: Painting-Miniature
Date: ca. 1801-1872
Copy after: Thomas Sully, born Horncastle, England 1783-died Philadelphia, PA 1872
Sitter: Mary Walsh McBlair
Medium: watercolor on ivory
Dimensions: image (oval): 1 1/2 x 1 1/8 in. (3.7 x 2.9 cm)
Credit line: Smithsonian American Art Museum, Bequest of Mary Elizabeth Spencer
Topics: Women
Portraits
Luce Center Label: Thomas Sully traveled to England to study under Benjamin West in 1809. Upon his return, he emerged as one of Philadelphia’s leading miniaturists, and by 1830 was regarded as one of the best portrait painters in the country. Compared with his earlier, realistic work, Mary Walsh McBlair is painted in the more sentimental and romantic style that he adopted during his stay in England.
[None]
David Livingston
Collection: Smithsonian American Art Museum
Object type: Painting-Miniature
Date: ca. 1800
Artist: Joseph Wood, born Clarkstown, NY 1778-died Washington, DC 1830
Sitter: David Livingston
Medium: watercolor on ivory
Dimensions: image (oval): 2 7/8 x 2 3/8 in. (7.3 x 6.1 cm)
Credit line: Smithsonian American Art Museum, Bequest of Mary Elizabeth Spencer
Topics: Men
Portraits
Luce Center Label: One possible candidate for this portrait was David Livingston of Washington, New York, who was born around 1775. This portrait shows him in his mid-twenties, with the ruffled hair and costume typical of the romantic revival that took place at the turn of the nineteenth century.
[None]
Conrad Wunder
Collection: Smithsonian American Art Museum
Object type: Painting-Miniature
Date: 1797
Artist: Unidentified
Sitter: Conrad Wunder
Medium: gouache on gessoed vellum
Dimensions: sight 5 1/2 x 3 7/8 in. (14.0 x 9.7 cm)
Credit line: Smithsonian American Art Museum, Bequest of Mary Elizabeth Spencer
Topics: Men
Portraits
Luce Center Label: 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. Conservation of this miniature was made possible through a generous grant provided by the Smithsonian Women’s Committee.
Mourning Ring for William Burnside
Collection: Smithsonian American Art Museum
Object type: Painting-Miniature
Date: 1788
Artist: Unidentified
Medium: watercolor on ivory
Dimensions: image (irregular, almond shape): 1 1/8 x 1/2 in. (2.8 x 1.4 cm)
Credit line: Smithsonian American Art Museum, Bequest of Mary Elizabeth Spencer
Topics: Trees
Landscapes
Primitive
Figure female
Sorrow
Willow tree
State of being
Mourning
Emotions
Luce Center Label: Miniature paintings memorializing a friend or family member grew popular in the nineteenth century when the death of Prince Albert sent Queen Victoria into deep mourning. A name and death date on a locket, pin, or ring marked the passing of a loved one, and artists sometimes mixed a lock of the deceased person’s hair in with the pigment. The paintings often showed the bereaved person next to a tomb or cinerary urn, as in Mourning Locket for A. R. and Mourning Ring for William Burnside, and sometimes included symbols of grieving such as a dove or weeping willow.
John Quincy Adams
Collection: Smithsonian American Art Museum
Object type: Painting-Miniature
Date: early 19th century
Artist: Unidentified
Sitter: John Quincy Adams
Medium: enamel on porcelain
Dimensions: image: 7/8 x 3/4 in. (2.2 x 1.9 cm)
Credit line: Smithsonian American Art Museum, Bequest of Mary Elizabeth Spencer
Topics: Men
Portraits
Luce Center Label: Son of John and Abigail Adams, John Quincy Adams grew up ambitious and educated. At ten he accompanied his father to Europe on a diplomatic mission. He practiced law in Boston, and in 1825 became the sixth president of the United States. In 1830 he was elected to the House of Representatives and earned the nickname “Old Man Eloquent” for his support of the arts and sciences. He was also known for his opposition to slavery, and fought for several years to repeal the “gag rule” that prevented Congress from accepting antislavery petitions. His political career came to an end in 1848 when he collapsed on the floor of the House from a stroke. He died two days later and was buried at First Parish Church in Quincy, Massachusetts. This early-nineteenth-century miniature depicts Adams many years before his death. His arched brow and intense gaze reflect the intelligence and motivation that shaped a successful political career.
[None]
Portrait of a Gentleman
Collection: Smithsonian American Art Museum
Object type: Painting-Miniature
Date: ca. 1805
Artist: Unidentified
Sitter: unidentified
Medium: watercolor on ivory
Dimensions: image (oval): 2 1/8 x 1 3/4 in. (5.3 x 4.3 cm)
Credit line: Smithsonian American Art Museum, Bequest of Mary Elizabeth Spencer
Topics: Men
Portraits
Luce Center Label: 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.
[None]
Portrait of a Baby Boy
Collection: Smithsonian American Art Museum
Object type: Painting-Miniature
Date: ca. 1805
Artist: Unidentified
Sitter: unidentified
unidentified
Medium: watercolor on ivory
Dimensions: image (oval): 2 1/8 x 1 3/4 in. (5.5 x 4.4 cm)
Credit line: Smithsonian American Art Museum, Bequest of Mary Elizabeth Spencer
Topics: Men
Portraits
Children
Luce Center Label: 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.
[None]
Portrait of a Lady
Collection: Smithsonian American Art Museum
Object type: Painting-Miniature
Date: late 18th century
Artist: Unidentified
Sitter: unidentified
Medium: watercolor on ivory
Dimensions: image (oval): 2 3/16 x 1 9/16 in. (5.6 x 4.0 cm)
Credit line: Smithsonian American Art Museum, Bequest of Mary Elizabeth Spencer
Topics: Women
Portraits
Flowers
Luce Center Label: 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.
[None]
Joseph Fox
Collection: Smithsonian American Art Museum
Object type: Painting-Miniature
Date: 1790s
Artist: Unidentified
Sitter: Joseph Fox
Medium: watercolor on ivory
Dimensions: image (oval): 2 1/2 x 2 in. (6.4 x 5.1 cm)
Credit line: Smithsonian American Art Museum, Bequest of Mary Elizabeth Spencer
Topics: Men
Portraits
Luce Center Label: Joseph Fox was a prominent citizen of Fitchburg, Massachusetts, where he served as town clerk, taxman, and highway surveyor. In 1769 he married Mary Tuttle, and together they had six children. In his later years he acted as town treasurer, made unsuccessful bids for the state senate, and became a justice of the peace. The portrait shows a middle-aged man with the powdered hair that befitted a political figure of the early 1800s. The artist chose to show Fox with a thoughtful, alert expression, as if he had just been posed a difficult question.
[None]
Peter Boylston Adams?
Collection: Smithsonian American Art Museum
Object type: Painting-Miniature
Date: ca. 1765-1770
Artist: John Singleton Copley, born Boston, MA 1738-died 1815 London, England
Sitter: Peter Boylston Adams
Medium: oil on copper
Dimensions: image (oval): 3 1/8 x 2 1/2 in. (7.8 x 6.2 cm)
Credit line: Smithsonian American Art Museum, Bequest of Mary Elizabeth Spencer
Topics: Men
Portraits
Luce Center Label: This miniature is thought to show Peter Boylston Adams, who was born in Norfolk, Massachusetts, in 1738. Peter was the brother of the second president of the United States, John Adams, and a captain in the Revolutionary War. He married Mary Crosby in 1768, and this miniature may have been painted to commemorate their wedding.
[None]
Eye Miniature on an Elliptical Ivory Box
Collection: Smithsonian American Art Museum
Object type: Painting-Miniature
Date: ca. 1800
Artist: Unidentified
Medium: watercolor on ivory
Dimensions: image (elliptical): 3/4 x 1 5/16 in. (1.9 x 3.4 cm)
Credit line: Smithsonian American Art Museum, Bequest of Mary Elizabeth Spencer
Topics: Fragment
Luce Center Label: Small paintings of eyes first became popular during the late eighteenth century. They reminded wearers of a loved one, whose identity remained a secret. The single eye also symbolized the watchful gaze of a jealous partner, who feared that his or her lover might stray. One of the earliest known eye miniatures was painted in 1786 by the English artist Richard Cosway for the Prince of Wales, later King George IV. The miniature showed the eye of Mrs. Fitzherbert, the prince's mistress. The eye miniatures shown in the Luce Center would have been set in lockets, brooches, rings, or small boxes.
[None]
Portrait of a Gentleman
Collection: Smithsonian American Art Museum
Object type: Painting-Miniature
Date: ca. 1800
Artist: Unidentified
Sitter: unidentified
Medium: watercolor on ivory
Dimensions: image (oval): 2 3/4 x 2 1/8 in. (6.9 x 5.3 cm)
Credit line: Smithsonian American Art Museum, Bequest of Mary Elizabeth Spencer
Topics: Men
Portraits
Luce Center Label: 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.
[None]
Mourning Pin
Collection: Smithsonian American Art Museum
Object type: Painting-Miniature
Date: 1790s
Artist: Unidentified
Medium: watercolor, mother of pearl, and metal on ivory
Dimensions: image (oval): 2 11/16 x 2 1/4 in. (6.8 x 5.7 cm)
Credit line: Smithsonian American Art Museum, Bequest of Mary Elizabeth Spencer
Topics: Landscapes
Primitive
Figure female
Sorrow
State of being
Religion
Angels
Mourning
Emotions
Luce Center Label: Miniature paintings memorializing a friend or family member grew popular in the nineteenth century when the death of Prince Albert sent Queen Victoria into deep mourning. A name and death date on a locket, pin, or ring marked the passing of a loved one, and artists sometimes mixed a lock of the deceased person’s hair in with the pigment. The paintings often showed the bereaved person next to a tomb or cinerary urn, as in Mourning Locket for A. R. and Mourning Ring, and sometimes included symbols of grieving such as a dove or weeping willow.
John Dallas
Collection: Smithsonian American Art Museum
Object type: Painting-Miniature
Date: ca. 1801
Artist: Unidentified
Sitter: John Dallas
Medium: oil on panel
Dimensions: image (oval): 6 5/16 x 4 1/4 in. (16.0 x 10.7 cm)
Credit line: Smithsonian American Art Museum, Bequest of Mary Elizabeth Spencer
Topics: Men
Portraits
Luce Center Label: The inscription attached to this miniature reads: “John Dallas Departed this life February 11 1801 Aged 38 Years & 10 months.” John’s death date and the burgundy velour frame suggest that this was a piece of mourning jewelry, given to a loved one to remember the deceased. The formality of the sitter’s dress and pose contrast with his disheveled hair and ravaged face. His appearance implies a mortal illness, while the artist’s careful placement of the sitter next to a window suggests a release from suffering.
[None]
Benjamin Hurd, Jr.
Collection: Smithsonian American Art Museum
Object type: Painting-Miniature
Date: ca. 1804-1818
Artist: William M. S. Doyle, born Boston, MA 1769-died Boston, MA 1828
Sitter: Jr. Benjamin Hurd
Medium: watercolor on ivory
Dimensions: image (oval): 2 1/4 x 1 3/4 in. (5.7 x 4.5 cm)
Credit line: Smithsonian American Art Museum, Bequest of Mary Elizabeth Spencer
Topics: Men
Portraits
Luce Center Label: Benjamin Hurd Jr. (1778-1818) was born in Roxbury, Massachusetts. His grandfather Jacob Hurd (1702-1758) was a leading silversmith in colonial Boston, and the artist’s father and uncle both followed in the trade.
[None]
Anne Hume Shippen
Collection: Smithsonian American Art Museum
Object type: Painting-Miniature
Date: ca. 1796
Artist: Benjamin Trott, born Boston, MA ca. 1770-died Washington, DC 1843
Sitter: Anne Hume Shippen
Medium: watercolor on ivory
Dimensions: sight 2 5/8 x 2 1/8 in. (6.7 x 5.3 cm) oval
Credit line: Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Natalie Brooks Sears Shippen and William Brush Shippen
Topics: Women
Portraits
Luce Center Label: Benjamin Trott's portrait of Anne Hume "Nancy" Shippen is a rare example, because he painted very few women early in his career. The sitter was regarded by her numerous admirers as "sweet to look upon, and sweeter yet to hold." To please her parents, Shippen broke off an engagement with the man she loved in order to marry Colonel Henry Beekman Livingston in 1781. The marriage established ties of kinship among the Lees, Washingtons, and Livingstons, three prominent families from the nation's early history. Shippen ultimately left her husband and lived the rest of her days with her parents. Their daughter, Peggy, was sent to live with Colonel Livingston's mother until she was sixteen to protect her inheritance from her grandmother.
[None]
Jane Gray Wall
Collection: Smithsonian American Art Museum
Object type: Painting-Miniature
Date: ca. 1795
Artist: Joseph Francis Burrell, English, born 1770-died after 1854
Sitter: Jane Gray Wall
Medium: watercolor on ivory
Dimensions: 3 1/8 x 2 1/2 in. (7.9 x 6.4 cm)
Credit line: Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Natalie Brooks Sears Shippen and William Brush Shippen
Topics: Women
Portraits
Luce Center Label: In June 1793, Jane Gray Wall married Thomas Shore, a landowner in Dinwiddie County, Virginia. In 1817 their daughter, Mary Louise Shore, married Doctor William Shippen, whose miniature, painted when he was a toddler, is in this collection <b>[see 1999.87.5]</b>. According to an inscription on the back of Jane Wall’s miniature, it was painted in Soho Square in London. This suggests that she was visiting Europe, as many other Americans did to further their education during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries.
[None]
Thomas Lee Shippen
Collection: Smithsonian American Art Museum
Object type: Painting-Miniature
Date: 1795
Artist: James Peale, born Chestertown, MD 1749-died Philadelphia, PA 1831
Sitter: Thomas Lee Shippen
Medium: watercolor on ivory
Dimensions: sight 1 3/4 x 1 3/8 in. (4.4 x 3.5 cm) oval
Credit line: Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Natalie Brooks Sears Shippen and William Brush Shippen
Topics: Men
Figure male
Portraits
Children
Luce Center Label: Thomas Shippen (1793-1810) was two or three years old when James Peale painted this miniature. Thomas and his brother, William---whose miniature by James Peale is also in this collection <b>[see 1999.87.5]</b>---were the sons of Thomas Lee Shippen (1765-1798) and Elizabeth Carter Farley (1774-1826). Farley’s miniature, painted by Hugh Bridport, is also in this collection <b>[see 1999.87.2]</b>.
[None]
William Shippen
Collection: Smithsonian American Art Museum
Object type: Painting-Miniature
Date: 1794
Artist: James Peale, born Chestertown, MD 1749-died Philadelphia, PA 1831
Sitter: William Shippen
Medium: watercolor on ivory
Dimensions: sight 1 3/4 x 1 3/8 in. (4.4 x 3.5 cm) oval
Credit line: Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Natalie Brooks Sears Shippen and William Brush Shippen
Topics: Men
Figure male
Portraits
Children
Luce Center Label: William Shippen (1792-1867) was two or three years old when James Peale painted this miniature of him. William was the older brother of Thomas Lee Shippen, whose miniature was also painted by Peale [see 1999.87.4]. William would go on to earn a medical degree, and in 1817 he married Mary Louise Shore. The miniature is inscribed to William and Mary Louise’s oldest niece, Jane Gray Wharton, from her mother.
Louis-Guillaume Otto, comte de Mosloy
Collection: Smithsonian American Art Museum
Object type: Painting-Miniature
Date: ca. 1780
Artist: Charles Willson Peale, born Queen Anne's County, MD 1741-died Philadelphia, PA 1827
Sitter: Comte de Mosloy Louis Guillaume Otto
Medium: watercolor on ivory
Dimensions: sight 1 3/8 x 1 in. (3.5 x 2.5 cm) oval
Credit line: Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Natalie Brooks Sears Shippen and William Brush Shippen
Topics: Occupations
Men
Portraits
Aristocracy (Social class)
Luce Center Label: Otto Louis-Guillaume (1754-1817) was a French diplomat who served as minister to the United States in 1779. He was secretary of the French Legation in America in 1782, and returned to France three years later. In Europe he enjoyed a successful career as a diplomat, signing on behalf of Napoleon the Treaty of Amiens in 1802. This treaty achieved fourteen months of peace in Europe during the French Revolution and the Napoleonic Wars.
[None]
Col. Nathaniel Darby
Collection: Smithsonian American Art Museum
Object type: Painting-Miniature
Date: ca. 1798
Artist: Unidentified
Sitter: Col. Nathaniel Darby
Medium: watercolor on ivory
Dimensions: sight 2 x 1 5/8 in. (5.1 x 4.0 cm) oval
Credit line: Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Natalie Brooks Sears Shippen and William Brush Shippen
Topics: Occupations
Colonel
Men
Portraits
Military
Luce Center Label: 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.
[None]
Robert Hooper
Collection: Smithsonian American Art Museum
Object type: Painting
Date: ca. 1770-1772
Artist: John Singleton Copley, born Boston, MA 1738-died 1815 London, England
Sitter: Jr. Robert Hooper
Medium: oil on canvas
Dimensions: 50 x 40 in. (127.0 x 101.6 cm)
Credit line: Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Diane and Norman Bernstein
Topics: Industrialization
Occupations
Men
Portraits
Fishing
Gallery Label: Mr. Hooper was the son of Robert King Hooper, who owned a fishing fleet that worked out of Marblehead, Massachusetts. The younger man already sports the rotund physique that Copley had captured in a portrait of Hooper's father years earlier. Behind him, the sea, visible through an open window, recalls the source of his family’s riches. Robert had graduated from Harvard in 1763, and Copley's painting shows him settling into the comfortable life of a merchant prince.
Copley owed his living to this new class, whose wealth supported the artists, writers, and educators of the colonies. He had joined the elite not long before, through his marriage to Susanna Clarke, daughter of a prominent Boston merchant. The union literally moved Copley up in the world, where he and "Sukey" bought property on Beacon Hill, above downtown Boston.Exhibition Label, Smithsonian American Art Museum, 2006
[None]