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Blonde Girl Holding Flowers, Signed by Theodore Wust, Circa 1875A lovely American portrait miniature of a small girl with blonde hair and brown eyes, wearing a white dress and holding red and yellow flowers. The painting is signed at the right: Th. Wust, and is set in a gilt wood frame with a gilded metal spandrel. Theodore Wust (active 1865-1890), previously of Germany, was naturalized as a U.S. citizen in 1876, and was recorded as living at 114 Wig Street in New York City at that time. Wust studied with Jules Coignet, exhibiting at the National Academy of Design in 1865, and the Paris Salon in 1882 and 1884. In addition to portrait miniatures Wust executed pen and ink drawings, and was a regular contributor to the first illustrated daily newspaper in America, the New York Daily Graphic. Five portrait miniatures by Wust are held in the collection of the New York Historical Society. Material: Watercolor on ivory.
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Woman with Red Shawl, by Sarah Goodridge, Circa 1828An outstanding American portrait miniature of a young woman with blonde hair and hazel eyes, wearing a black belted dress and a red shawl with paisley trim. The painting is set in a gilded brass over wood frame with the original brass inset mat. Sarah Goodridge [also Goodrich] (1788-1853), was one of America’s most talented and remarkable miniaturists. Born into a large family in Massachusetts--which included her sister and fellow miniaturist Eliza Goodridge--Sarah was primarily self-taught. She initially worked in oils until a fellow miniature painter in Hartford, almost certainly Elkanah Tisdale, gave her some instruction in watercolor on ivory, at which point she developed an affinity for the medium.1 In 1820 she established a studio in Boston, where she became friends with the American master painter Gilbert Stuart, from whom she received informal tutelage for several years. In addition to painting a miniature of Stuart, Goodridge also painted miniatures of Daniel Webster—who became an intimate friend—and of General Henry Lee, among many other distinguished clients. The departure of Edward Greene Malbone and Robert Field from the miniaturist arena left Boston an open field, and Goodridge quickly rose to become the most prominent miniaturist in the area.2 As well, several trips to Washington D.C. to visit Webster helped forge contacts with further important clientele to build her career. Goodridge never married, living instead in the Boston area with various family members. She exhibited at the Boston Athenaeum, and painted miniatures until failing eyesight forced her to stop, ten years before her death. Examples of her work may be seen in the Metropolitan Museum, the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, the Smithsonian American Art Museum, the Cincinnati Art Museum, the American Antiquarian Society, the Neville-Strass Collection, and others. Material: Watercolor on ivory.
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Gentleman with Blue Eyes, Attributed to William Dunlap, Circa 1805A very fine American portrait miniature of a gentleman with blue eyes and red-gold hair, wearing a black coat, white waistcoat, and white cravat. The painting is set in the original gilded copper locket frame, the reverse with a glazed aperture holding a lock of red-gold hair and a lock of blond hair, tied with seed pearls and gold wire, and set on ivory. It may be noted that the sitter for this portrait bears a resemblance to one of the two Dunlap self-portrait miniatures in the Yale Art Gallery. However, in that self-portrait Dunlap faces left, while this sitter faces right. William Dunlap (1766-1839), a famous artist, art historian and dramatist, was a founding member of the National Academy of Design, of which he served as Treasurer and Vice-President. His large painting “Christ Rejected” is at Princeton University, and—author of over 60 plays and a number of biographies and histories--he is best known for his two volume History of the Rise and Progress of the Arts of Design in the United States. His sitters included President Tyler, the actor James Fennel, and Timothy Dwight, President of Yale University. Dunlap was born in Perth Amboy, New Jersey, to Samuel Dunlap, a British soldier turned merchant, and Margaret Sargeant, a New Jersey native of English descent. At age 12 Dunlap damaged his right eye in an accident, which was later to affect his sense of perspective when painting larger pieces. Dunlap studied briefly with the artist William Williams--very briefly, according to Dunlap’s account: “My father made an arrangement with Williams to teach me, but after two or three visits the teacher was not to be found, or if found, was unfit for service either from ebriety or its effects.”1 At age 17 Dunlap executed from life a pastel portrait of George Washington, which is now in the collection of the U.S. Senate. Dunlap later traveled to London, where he studied with Benjamin West from 1784 to 1787. Upon his return to the United States he married Elizabeth Woolsey, and they had two children, Margaret and John Alexander. William at this time turned from painting to another passion—drama—and took up theatrical management in New York City. In 1805 he worked as an itinerant miniaturist in New York State, Boston, Baltimore, Virginia, Washington D.C. and Philadelphia, from 1805 to 1806, and again in 1811 to 1813. In 1817 he became active full-time as a painter, executing portraits in oil and pastel, portrait miniatures, and large allegorical and religious pictures. A member of the American Academy of the Fine Arts, and named Librarian and Keeper in 1817, he exhibited there from 1816 until 1839, and at the National Academy of Design from 1826 to 1838. Works by him may be seen at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the National Gallery of Art, Washington D.C., the Smithsonian American Art Museum, the New York Historical Society, the Yale University Gallery, and the Worcester Art Museum. Portrait miniatures by Dunlap are rare. Material: Watercolor on ivory. Provenance: Limner Antiques, June 1989.
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Lady with the Initials L. M., Signed by William Verstille, Circa 1790An appealing early American portrait miniature of a woman with blue eyes and powdered brown hair, wearing a blue dress with a frilled white bodice and a red sash, and a red ribbon in her hair. The painting is signed at the right: Verstille. The portrait is set in the original gold locket case, with a brightwork inset mat on the front, the reverse with brightwork surrounding a glazed aperture containing a chopped hair and india ink drawing on ivory of the monogram LM, two love birds, and a wreath. William Verstille (1757-1803), a leading American miniaturist in the 18th century, was born in Boston to a merchant family. He developed an interest in art at an early age, and as a member of the troops during the American Revolution, he painted miniatures of the officers. In 1780 he married Eliza Sheldon, and moved to East Windsor, Connecticut. Verstille rose to become one of the most active miniaturists in the area, and subsequently worked in Philadelphia and then New York City. In New York City, Dale Johnson says: “During his years in New York Verstille clearly took notice of the work of John Ramage…Verstille’s miniatures from that time are,..like Ramage’s in size, coloring, pose of subject, and format.. [and] many of the distinctive gold cases housing Verstille’s miniatures are very close to the ones Ramage made for his own works…making it tempting to conclude that Verstille apprenticed under Ramage—or at the very least copied some of Ramage’s pieces which he borrowed or owned.”1 During this time in New York Verstille began keeping a detailed account book of his commissions for miniatures, hairwork, mourning pieces, and jewelry. Verstille worked closer to home in the 1790s, traveling throughout Connecticut and Massachusetts, where he took portraits of a number of important Salem families. Bolton comments: “Dr. Bentley’s “Diary” contains the following….A Mr. Verstille has at the present much fame and it is believed great success. 1802.” 2 Examples of Verstille’s work may be found at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Henry Luce III Center, the Smithsonian American Art Museum, the Peabody Essex Museum, and the Wadsworth Atheneum. Material: Watercolor on ivory.
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Gentleman in Blue Coat, Attributed to Nathaniel Hancock, Circa 1795An early American portrait miniature of a gentleman with brown eyes and brown hair, wearing a blue coat, red waistcoat, white shirt and white cravat. The painting is set in the original gold locket case with a scalloped inner gold mat, a cartridge-edged rim, and a solid reverse with brooch pin. It is interesting to note that a similar cartridge-edge is on the case of Hancock’s miniature self-portrait and his miniature of Jedidiah Morse, both at the Yale University Art Gallery. Nathaniel Hancock (flourished 1792-1809), like a number of American miniaturists, migrated from Europe, most likely England. Apparently professionally trained, he set up practice in Massachusetts, executing miniatures that were both assured and appealing. The obituary of his wife Elizabeth, published in 1792 in the Boston Independent Chronicle, was the first clue of his presence in the U.S., soon followed by his advertisement: …”the most correct Likenesses…finish[ed] in an elegant style of painting…in gilt frame and glass included, and elegant Devices in Hair…” Given the brightwork on several of his miniature frames, it is thought that he may also have been an engraver. Hancock also advertised in the Boston Columbian Centinel of June 17, 1797, offering “flower pieces, Landscape & c. as pat[t]erns [painted patterns for needlework].” In 1796 Hancock began itinerant portrait work, traveling to Petersburg, Richmond, Boston, Portsmouth, Exeter and Salem. Hancock’s works may be seen at the Peabody Essex Museum, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and the Yale University Art Gallery. His miniatures are scarce. Material: Watercolor on ivory.
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Gentleman with Sharp Green Eyes, Signed by Picot de Cloriviere, Circa 1805A rare American portrait miniature of a gentleman with sharp green eyes and black hair, wearing a black coat, white waistcoat, white pleated shirt, white cravat, and circular pin. The painting is signed at the lower right: P. de C…., and set in the original gilded copper locket frame, the reverse with a glazed aperture holding maroon silk. This is an particularly excellent example of this hard-to-find artist’s work. Joseph-Pierre Picot de Limoelan de Cloriviere (1768-1826), born in Brittany, was an officer in the army of Louis XVI. After his father’s death on the guillotine during the French Revolution, he joined the Vendeen revolt, and was implicated in the attempted assassination of Napoleon on Christmas Eve, 1800. Sentenced to death, Cloriviere was the only conspirator to escape, with the help of his fiancée, who vowed to join a convent if he reached safety. Cloriviere fled to America, and his fiancée became a nun. Cloriviere settled in the South and became an agent for his brother-in-law, administering his American estates. Cloriviere also began painting miniatures, signing his works variously Picot, P. de Cloriviere, or Guitry. Many of Cloriviere’s miniatures were painted in the South, although he also traveled for his agent work, including trips to New York City and through New York State, and took portrait commissions during these trips. In 1808 de Cloriviere entered St. Mary’s Seminary in Baltimore, becoming ordained in 1812. He was assigned to a parish in Charleston, South Carolina, and journeyed briefly to France in 1815, where he was decorated by Louis XVIII for his support of the monarchy. In 1819 he resigned his parish to become Director of the Convent of Visitation in Georgetown, D.C., where today he is revered as the second founder of that congregation by its members. When he died in 1826, he was buried beneath the altar of the monastery chapel, where his tomb remains to this day. One of Cloriviere’s miniatures may be seen at the Cincinnati Art Museum, and several others are at the Gibbes Art Museum. In the winter of 2002, The Museum of Early Southern Decorative Arts [MESDA] published a volume on Cloriviere, with new research and photos of his work. A copy of that volume will accompany this miniature. Material: Watercolor on ivory.
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Lady in a Shawl, Signed by Henry Colton Shumway, N.A., Dated 1848A stunning American portrait miniature of a woman with brown eyes and brown hair, wearing a white dress, colorful shawl, and drop pearl earrings. The painting is signed and dated on the backing paper: Shumway / New York / 1848, and is set in a gilt cabinet frame with a leather reverse. This is an unusually fine example of Shumway’s work. Henry Colton Shumway N.A., (1807-1884), one of America’s most distinctive and assured miniaturists, was born in Middletown, Connecticut. He studied at the National Academy of Design, and also apparently received instruction from Thomas Seir Cummings. By 1831 he had established his career as a miniature painter in New York City, his sitters including Daniel Webster, Henry Clay, Cyrus W. Field and Governor John Trumbull. Shumway exhibited at the National Academy for many years, as well as at the Artist’s Fund Society, the Apollo Association, and Philadelphian venues, and was elected academican at the National Academy in 1852. His contemporary William Dunlap said of Shumway: "[He is] in the foremost rank of the miniature painters in New York." Material: Watercolor on ivory.
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Gentleman in Black, Attributed to Daniel Dickinson, Circa 1830An American portrait miniature of a gentleman with blue eyes and brown hair, wearing a black coat, white shirt, stickpin, and black cravat. The painting is set in a gilt locket frame with a chased rim, the reverse with a glazed aperture holding a lock of blonde hair. Daniel Dickinson (1795-c.1866), the son of the amateur portrait painter Oliver Dickinson Jr., and the younger brother of the miniaturist Anson Dickinson, was born in Litchfield, Connecticut. At age 17 Dickinson studied drawing with Nathaniel Jocelyn of Hartford, and six years later he moved to Philadelphia, where he became a leading miniaturist. Dickinson exhibited at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts and the Artists' Fund Society, his sitters including artist John Neagle, and President Franklin Pierce. In 1847 Dickinson moved to Camden, New Jersey, where his interests eventually turned to horticulture. Dale Johnson says of Dickinson: "Though Daniel's miniatures are often mistaken for the work of his brother, their techniques differ. Daniel worked with a broader and more painterly brushstroke than Anson; the effect is a freer, less controlled rendering of hair and clothing. Faces are strongly modeled, with deep contrasts between illuminated and shadowed areas." Dickinson's work may be seen at the Metropolitan Museum and the Smithsonian American Art Museum. Material: Watercolor on ivory.
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Mrs. Bray, Signed by William M. S. Doyle, Dated 1815An American portrait miniature of Mrs. Bray of Boston, seated in a red upholstered chair. She has brown eyes and brown hair, and wears a black dress with a white lace collar, drop earrings, and a jeweled comb in her upswept hair. The painting is signed and dated at the right: Doyle 1815, and is set in a black papier-mache frame with an ormolu mat. The first members of the Bray family to move to Massachusetts were John Bray and his wife Joan, who came from Plymouth, England, circa 1660. William Massey Strode Doyle (1769-1828), of Boston, was one of the most important miniaturists in the Northeast during the early 19th century. In addition to painting miniatures, he also cut silhouettes and and painted larger portraits in pastels and oils. He partnered with Daniel Bowen as co-proprietor of the Columbian Museum on Tremont Street, where a full gamut of portraiture, including wax portraits, were sold. Henry Williams entered the business as the third partner, and then later Doyle became the sole proprietor and remained in business there until his death. Examples of Doyle's work may be seen in the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Yale University Art Gallery, and his self-portrait is held in the New York Historical Society collection. Material: Watercolor on ivory. Provenance: Bonhams, April 10, 2002, Lot 413.
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Baby in Blue Shawl, American School, Circa 1800A delightful early portrait miniature of a baby with brown eyes and blonde hair, wearing a ruffled white gown and white bonnet, and draped in a blue shawl. The painting is set in the original gold locket frame, with a solid reverse, the interior holding a cut-down playing card. Material: Watercolor on ivory.
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Gentleman with Brown Eyes, Signed by Moses B. Russell, Dated 1837An American portrait miniature of a young man with brown eyes and brown hair, wearing a black coat, white shirt, black cravat and small gold pin. The backing paper of the ivory is inscribed with an illegible phrase, and is signed: Painted by M.B. Russell/ 1837. The painting is housed in the original gilt locket frame with a cast foliate rim, the reverse with a glazed aperture holding plaited brown hair. Moses B. Russell (1810-1884) was born in Woodstock, New Hampshire, and lived the rest of his life in Boston, working briefly from 1854 to 1861 in New York and Philadelphia. He painted miniatures and oil portraits, later in life executing daguerreotypes, and exhibited at the Boston Atheneum, the Harding Gallery, the Boston Art Association, the Boston Mechanic’s Association, and the American Institute of the City of New York. In 1939 he married Clarissa Peters, who went on to become a highly regarded miniaturist, exhibiting under the name Mrs. Moses B. Russell. Examples of his work may be seen at the Smithsonian American Art Museum and the Henry Luce III Center for the Study of American Culture. Material: Watercolor on ivory. Provenance: Limner Antiques, November 10, 1977.
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The primary references used for the artist biographies
on the listings are: Miniatures Dictionary and Guide by
Daphne Foskett,
American Portrait Miniatures in The Manney Collection,
by Dale Johnson and The Miniature in Europe, by Leo Schidlof.
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