item details
NameMiniature painting
ProductionStieler; artist; circa 1830; France
Classificationminiatures, paintings, portraits
Materialswatercolour, paper, copper alloy, glass, ivory, horn
DimensionsOverall: 6mm (width), 95mm (height), 65mm (length)
Registration NumberGH003097
Credit lineBequest of Ethel M Anderson Estate, 1971
Overview
This miniature painting shows a woman in the fashionable dress of her time. In 1830, a suitable evening look would be a full-sleeved, low-necked dress, and hair parted in side curls with topknot and tiara.
Mini mementoes
Just as today people might carry a photo of a loved one in their wallet, in times past people kept small portrait paintings close to them. Often they wore them around the neck or concealed them in vest pockets. The beautiful and valuable way in which the portraits were set in their lockets reflected the precious bond between the lovers. Some were even backed with a braided lock of the beloved's hair.