Christine Archibald Portrait Miniatures

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Blonde Girl Holding Flowers, Signed by Theodore Wust, Circa 1875

A 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.
Dimensions: Frame: 5 ¼ x 4 ½ inches. Image: 3 ½ x 2 ¾ inches.

Mother and Two Children, Signed by Cornelia Hildebrandt, Circa 1908

An American portrait miniature of a mother with her young daughter and baby. The painting is signed at the lower left: Cornelia E. Hildebrandt, and is set in the original gilt pendant frame, with foliate rim and solid reverse, held in a black leather traveling case.

Cornelia Hildebrandt (1876-1962), was raised in Eau Claire, Wisconsin, and studied at the Art Institute of Chicago and with the artists Augustus Koopman and Virginia Reynolds. She and her husband, the portrait artist Howard Logan Hildebrandt, subsequently settled in New York City and New Canaan, Connecticut. Hildebrandt was a member of the American Society of Miniature Painters, the National Association of Women Painters and Sculptors, and the Pennsylvania Society of Miniature Painters. In 1912 she had a show of fifteen miniatures at the Worcester Art Museum. 1 Her miniatures may be viewed at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Worcester Art Museum, and the Cincinnati Art Museum. Hildebrandt’s miniatures are scarce.

Material: Watercolor on ivory.
Dimensions: 4 ½ x 4 ¼ inches.

Susan E. Strickler, American Portrait Miniatures: The Worcester Art Museum Collection, the Worcester Art Museum, 1989, p. 69.

Young Girl in Pink, English School, Circa 1805

A beautiful portrait miniature of a young girl with brown eyes and brown hair, wearing a pink dress. The painting is set in the original gold locket frame, the reverse with a plaited brown hair panel.

Material: Watercolor on ivory.
Dimensions: 3 x 2 1/2 inches.

Baby in Blue Shawl, American School, Circa 1800

A 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.
Dimensions: 2 ¾ x 2 inches.

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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.