Gentleman with Gray Eyes, Attributed to Isaac B. Alexander, Circa 1840

An American portrait miniature of a gentleman with brown hair and gray eyes, wearing a black coat, white vest, white shirt, gold stickpin and black cravat, against a peach and brown background. The painting is set in the original gilt pendant frame, the glazed aperture on the reverse holding a lock of brown hair.

Please note the recent article, "Miniature Discoveries," by curator Robert A. Leath, pp. 212-215, in The Magazine Antiques, Jan/Feb 2012, on this artist Isaac Brownfield Alexander.

Isaac Brownfield Alexander (1812-1885), was born to Dr. Isaac V. Alexander and his second wife, Sarah Thornton, of New York. Dr. Isaac V. Alexander graduated from Princeton College in 1772, in the same class as James Madison and Aaron Burr, and entered the practice of medicine. He moved to Camden, South Carolina around 1784, where he became a leading physician and citizen for the next 30 years. He represented the county in the Legislature in 1786, and served as one of the first trustees of the South Carolina College. His first wife was Margaret Brisbane, of Charleston, who died in 1801, leaving behind one child, Amelia. In 1807 Dr. Alexander married Sarah Thornton, and had two children: Isaac B. Alexander, the artist, and Henry Dana Ward Alexander.. Henry married his cousin Mary Alexander, moved to Georgia, served in the army C.S.A., and died in a fire on a steamer on the Savannah River in 1865.¹

Isaac B. Alexander entered the Norwich Academy in 1824, and attended for two years. He then went to New York, possibly staying with relatives on his mother's side, and learned the jeweler's trade. He then returned to Camden, South Carolina where he worked as a jeweler and as a painter of portrait miniatures.² He married Elizabeth Gilman and had five children. A photograph of his home, Tanglewood, built in 1831 as a gift from his wife’s mother,³ may be seen on the website www.carolinaliving.com.

A miniature of William Irvin Sparkman signed by Alexander, and a miniature of Mrs. Peter Smith, signed and dated by Alexander, are held at the Gibbes Museum of Art. A miniature of Ann Lucetta Alexander, Isaac’s daughter, is held at the Museum of Early Southern Decorative Arts. A miniature of Eliza Levy Anderson, attributed to Alexander, is held at the Jewish Heritage Collection, College of Charleston Library. A Secession banner painted by Alexander, depicting South Carolina as the keystone of the new republic, is held in the collection of the South Carolina Historical Society.

1. Thomas J. Kirkland and Robert MacMillan Kennedy, Historic Camden, Volume 1, State Company, 1905, page 343.
2. William Arba Ellis, Norwich University: Her History, Her Graduates, Her Roll of Honor, The Rumford Press, Concord, NH, 1898, p. 444.
3. Robert A. Leith, "Miniature Discoveries," The Magazine Antiques, January/February 2012.

Dimensions: 2 1/8 x 1 7/8 inches.

King Louis XVI, French School, Circa 1780

A portrait miniature on card of Louis XVI, husband of Marie Antoinette, wearing a red coat with gold lace, a gold waistcoat, white cravat, and a powdered wig. The painting is set in a pendant frame with a gold-ball surround and chased rim, the reverse with a mother-of-pearl back painted with the dates and motif for the king. Louis XVI (1754-1793), King of France and of Navarre (1774-1791), King of the French (1781-1792), is the only King of France ever to have been executed.

Although Louis XVI was beloved at first, his indecisiveness and conservatism led to him being regarded as a symbol of the perceived tyranny of the Ancien Régime. Louis was officially arrested on the 13th August 1792, and sent to the Temple. On the 21st September, the National Assembly declared France to be a Republic and abolished the Monarchy. Louis was stripped of all of his titles and honours, and from this date on was simply known as, 'Citroyen Louis Capet' after Hugh Capet, the founder of the Capetian dynasty.

On the 21st January 1793, Louis delivered a short and dignified speech upon the scaffold at Place de la Révolution before being cut short by a drum roll. His beheading by guillotine swiftly followed.

Dimensions: 1 ½ x 1 ¼ inches.

Gentleman in Blue, Attributed to Thomas Flatman, Circa 1680

An English portrait miniature of a gentleman with blue eyes wearing a brown curly wig, a blue robe, and a white cravat fastened with a jewel, against a brown background. The painting is set in a gold pendant frame with a surround of garnets and a solid reverse.

Thomas Flatman (1635-1688), one of the most distinguished early miniaturists, was born in London, the son of a clerk in Chancery. A man of versatile talents, he was invited to the Inner Temple in 1655, called to the Bar in 1662, and admitted M.A. of Cambridge in 1666. As well during this time, he began painting miniatures, his earliest known pieces dating from 1661. Besides miniatures, he executed oil portraits and published a volume of poems and songs. He had a wide circle of artistic friends, including the artists Mary and Charles Beale, whose son, Charles Junior, studied with Flatman. Flatman appears to have suffered periods of alternating elation and depression, and when he died in 1688, Anthony Wood’s description that “at length he gave way to fate” is taken to imply that he committed suicide. The Welbeck Abbey Miniatures by Richard Goulding lists signed and dated miniatures by Flatman between 1661 and 1683. Examples of his works may be found in most collections, including those of Her Majesty the Queen, the Dukes of Buccleuch and Portland, and the Earl Beauchamp, as well as the Victoria and Albert Museum, the National Portrait Gallery, the Wallace Collection, the Fitzwilliam Museum, and the Ashmolean Museum. His self-portrait miniature is at the Victoria and Albert Museum.

Dimensions: 1 ¼ x 1 1/8 inches.

Joel White, Quaker, by Abraham Parsell, Circa 1830

An American portrait miniature of Joel White, with black hair and brown eyes, dressed in a black coat, yellow vest, and white shirt, against an atmospheric brown background. The painting is set in the original gilt pendant case with a foliate rim, the reverse with a glazed aperture containing a plait of brown hair, and is accompanied by a gilt chain of engraved links on which the miniature was worn.

According to a family note, (not included), the portrait is of "Joel White who went to New Orleans where he owned a vessel and was never heard of again…went down in a diving bell when first invented." The miniature was part of the New Jersey/Philadelphia Quaker Bassett family archive, and descended to the previous owner through the family. The White family is listed throughout the archive. Joel White was one of ten children born to William White and his second wife, Anne Paul, of Paulsboro, New Jersey, outside of Philadelphia. In The History and Genealogy of Fenwick's Colony, New Jersey, by Thomas Shourds, 1876, pages 325 to 328, it says: "John and Joel White, sons of William, settled in one of the Southern States. The family have not heard from them for a number of years." Further information on this family network is held in An Inventory of the Bassett Family Papers, 1676-1846 at the Swarthmore Friends Historical Library.

Abraham Parsell (1792-after 1856) a popular American folk miniature painter, was born in Neshanic, New Jersey on June 17, 1791, the second of six children of Oliver Parsell and Lucretia Williamson Parsell. Abraham married Mary Richards in Essex County, New Jersey, on March 23, 1819, and is recorded in New York City directories as living in Manhattan from 1820 to 1856. A John H. Parsell is also recorded at the same address, and working also as a miniaturist, and is assumed to be their son. Abraham's grave may be found at the French-Richards Burying Ground, Springfield, New Jersey. Examples of Abraham Parsell's work are in the collection of the Abby Aldrich Rockefeller Folk Art Museum and the New Jersey Historical Society. An article "Abraham Parsell: Miniature Painter" by Vincent DiCicco and Howard P. Fertig appeared in a recent issue of the magazine Antiques and Fine Art.

Dimensions: 2 ¼ x 1 15/16 inches.

Officer in Hussar Uniform, Signed by Jean Pierre Henri Elouis, Circa 1800

A rare South American portrait miniature of an officer with brown hair and brown eyes, wearing a red Spanish Hussar regimental jacket with silver frogging and a white cravat, against a sky background. The painting is signed at the lower right: Elouis, and is set in a gold pendant frame with a solid reverse.

Jean Pierre Henri Elouis (1755-1840), was born in Caen, France, but had an international career, and is most strongly identified as an American miniaturist. He studied with Robert Lefevre before moving to London, where he attended the Royal Academy Schools. He exhibited miniatures at the Royal Academy from 1785 to 1787, when he then moved to America. There he practiced in Baltimore, Annapolis, Alexandria, and Philadelphia, where he opened a drawing school, and painted miniatures of President and Mrs. Washington. By 1799 he had left Philadelphia and traveled through Mexico and South America as a draftsman on the German scientist Baron Alexander von Humboldt's expedition, where this portrait is presumed to have been painted. Elouis moved to France in 1807, and there exhibited at the Salon de Paris. Examples of his work may be seen at the Smithsonian American Art Museum and the Cincinnati Art Museum. No other examples from his trip through South America are presently known.

Dimensions: 3 ¼ x 2 ¾ inches.

Gentleman with the Initials WW, By John Brewster Jr., Circa 1805

An American portrait miniature of a gentleman with blue eyes and brown hair, wearing a navy blue coat and white cravat, against a sky background. The painting is set in the original gold pendant frame, the reverse with brightwork surrounding an aperture holding plaited brown hair mounted with the gold initials WW. The miniature is held in a red leather traveling case. It's interesting to note that the pendant frame and case are very similar to the previous signed Brewster gentleman I sold here, indicating perhaps that Brewster tended to use the same goldsmith for his frames.

One of America's most important folk artists, John Brewster, Jr. (1766-1854), was born in Hampton, Connecticut, a seventh-generation descendant of Mayflower voyager and Plymouth Colony elder William Brewster, and the third son of Dr. John and Mary Brewster. Born a deaf-mute, he studied with Reverend Joseph Steward, a Connecticut artist, and in 1796 moved to Buxton, Maine, to live with his brother, Dr. Royal Brewster. Using his brother's home as a base, Brewster traveled throughout Maine, New York, Massachusetts, and Connecticut, painting portraits both large and small. Several important commissions came from wealthy Maine and Massachusetts families, notably the Cuttses and Princes. In 1817, at the age of 51, Brewster enrolled in the first class at the Connecticut Asylum for the Education and Instruction of Deaf and Dumb Persons (now the American School for the Deaf) in Hartford, Connecticut, becoming among the first in the nation to learn American Sign Language. He continued painting, and lived until the age of 88. Signed portrait miniatures by Brewster are extremely rare, and portraits both large and small by him are coveted. In 1988 Sotheby's sold "Comfort Starr Mygatt and Daughter Lucy," for $852,500, the world auction record for a Brewster portrait. Works by him may be found at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, the American Folk Art Museum, the Abby Aldrich Rockefeller Folk Art Center, the Peabody Essex Museum, the Florence Griswald Museum, and the Fenimore Art Museum. Further information on him may be found in A Deaf Artist in Early America: The Worlds of John Brewster Jr. (Beacon Press, 2004) by Harlan Lane.

Dimensions: 3 x 2 3/8 inches.

Gentleman with Dark Blue Eyes, By John Wood Dodge, A.N.A., Circa 1830

A dazzling American portrait miniature of a young gentleman with dark blue eyes and light brown hair, wearing a black coat, white vest, white shirt, and black cravat, against a sunset sky background. The miniature is set in the original gilt pendant frame with a cast foliate rim, the reverse with engine-turned detail and a glazed aperture holding a lock of the sitter's hair.

John Wood Dodge (1803-1893), one of the most talented miniaturists in America's history, was born in New York City, the son of a goldsmith and watchmaker. Dodge began his career by painting designs on watchcases for his father, and then apprenticed to a sign-painter, under whose tutelage he began to paint miniatures. He attended the National Academy of Design during 1826, and started keeping his account book in 1828. He exhibited at the National Academy from 1830 to 1838, and was elected an associate member of the National Academy in 1832. Dodge also exhibited at the Brooklyn Art Association and the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts. In 1838 he moved south, painting portraits of Andrew Jackson and Henry Clay, executing a series of large dioramas, and traveling to Huntsville, Nashville, New Orleans, and other southern cities. He purchased an apple farm in Pomona, Tennessee, and he and his wife and five children moved there shortly thereafter. As a Unionist, Dodge and his family moved back north to New York City in 1861, and then to Chicago a few years later. In 1889 they returned to their beloved apple farm in Tennessee, where Dodge continued to paint, until he died a few years later. His obituary was published in the New York Times, December 31, 1893. Dodge's papers are held at the Smithsonian, including his account book, correspondence, and a hand-written biography by James H. McNeilly. His works may be viewed at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Smithsonian Art Museum, the Cincinnati Art Museum, the New York Historical Society, and the Yale University Art Gallery, which holds his self-portrait miniature.

Dimensions: 2 ½ x 2 inches.

Gentleman With Curly Hair, Signed by Andre Leon Larue, Called Mansion, Dated 1818

A handsome French portrait miniature of a young gentleman with curly brown hair and green eyes, wearing a black coat, white vest, white shirt, and black cravat, against a brown background. The painting is signed at the right: Mansion/ 1818, and is set in the original gilt pendant frame, the reverse with a lock of brown hair set on black silk.

Andre Leon Larue (1785-after 1834) called Mansion, a highly talented painter, was a student of Isabey, and exhibited both at the Salon de Paris and the Royal Academy. Among Mansion's sitters were the Empress Marie Louise, Disraeli, and the Count Eszterhazy.

Dimensions: 3 x 2 3/8 inches.