Catalog (181)

A very nicely done naive watercolor of a gentleman, housed in its original embossed brass frame. The painting has had no restoration and has no tears or losses. sight size is 2 1/4" by 1 3/4", and the framed size is 3 3/4" by 3 1/8".

A stunning miniature portrait painting, watercolor on natural organic material, of a beautiful young girl with hazel eyes. The artist has painted the sitter with a background of clouds against a blue sky, often thought to denote that the piece was done as a mourning keepsake.

The condition of the painting is excellent, with no chips, cracks, bowing, or restoration. This little gem is housed in its original cast bronze brooch, with a mother-of-pearl backing. The sight size is 1 5/8" by 1...

A nicely painted portrait of a fashionably dressed attractive young woman, done in watercolor on natural wafer. The painting and the ebonized wood frame are in fine condition. Sight size is 2 7/8" by 2 3/8", with a frame size of 5 1/4" by 4 1/2".

A fine mid 19th century watercolor on organic wafer of a good looking young man. The sitter, with blue eyes and brown hair, is wearing a black coat and tie with a white shirt.

This painting is in its original A.P. Critchlow thermoplastic velvet lined case, an item which, in and of itself, is often sought after by collectors. Note that this case was produced even before a patent was granted.

Condition of the painting is excellent, with no issues whatsoever. The case condition is also excellen...

A nicely painted waist length portrait, done on organic material, of an attractive woman with dark brown eyes and hair. The sitter, posed in front of a reddish-brown drape, is wearing a black gown with a lace collar cinched with a brooch matching her earrings. A gold chain with two pendants completes her outfit. Presented in a later gilt frame.

The painting is in excellent condition with no issues. The sight size is 2 1/2" by 2" and the framed size is 5 1/2" by 4 1/2".

A portrait miniature of a good looking young gentleman, well painted in watercolors on organic wafer. This fine piece is enclosed in a bronze surround.

The sight size is 2 3/4" by 2 1/2", and the overall size is 3 1/4" by 2 3/4". The condition of the miniature and the surround is excellent, with no problems or restoration at all.

Painted in watercolor on organic material, with the sitter attired in a black coat, vest, and stock, and sporting a stickpin. In a wood frame with fragments on the back possibly indicating the artist and/or the sitter.

Very good condition with no chips, cracks, bowing, or restoration. Sight size is 2 1/4" by 1 13/16", and the framed size is 3 7/8" by 3 3/8".

A finely limned miniature painting done in watercolor on natural material. The sitter is a hazel-eyed young man dressed in a black coat and tie. The condition of the painting is excellent, with no issues. The bluish area on the left side was painted in that fashion.

The bronze frame is also in fine shape, originally made to be worn as a pendant or as a brooch, but is missing the brooch pin on the reverse. Sight size is 2 1/4" by 1 7/8", and the overall size is 2 5/8" by 2 1/4".

A well painted miniature portrait, executed in watercolors on organic material. The sitter is a nice looking blue-eyed young man wearing a black coat and blue patterned waistcoat. Presented in what appears to be the original heavy cast gilt bronze frame.

There are no condition issues with the painting, and the sight size is 4 1/2" by 3 1/2" with an overall size of 6" by 5 1/4".

A nicely done miniature, on natural wafer, of a gentleman in a black. The reverse of the case is a beautiful example of repousse work, and has an aperture with hairwork within.

The painting is in good condition, with no chips, cracks, or inpainting. The case is in excellent condition and measures 2 1/2" by 2".

A nicely painted miniature portrait, on natural wafer, of a fashionably attired gentleman. The sitter is wearing a white shirt and stock, a black coat with velvet lapels, and a gray vest with black polka dots. Presented in a period, and possibly original, ebonized frame.

No cracks, chips, restoration or other condition issues. Sight size is 2 1/2" by 1 3/4", and the frame size is 4 3/8" by 3 3/8".

An American portrait miniature of a woman with strong features and striking presence. Excellent condition, although the photo came out somewhat blurry. A card with illegible writing was inside the traveling case which measures 4" by 3 1/8" when closed. The sight size is 2 5/8" by 2".

An interesting portrait miniature, by William Baldwin, of a nattily attired gent. The sitter, with a very rakish look about him, is set against a bright blue background, has long thick hair, a soul patch, and is wearing a stickpin with multi-colored jewels. These are motifs, along with the use of a strong blue background, that seem to appear in a number of his minis, as uncommon as they are. In all, a strong and amusing painting, and possibly conjuring up visions of a Mississippi River gambler.

A charming first half 19th centrury miniature of a young woman. The exceptional thing about this piece is the wonderful high karat gold flip case with guilloche work (engine turning) on the front and back. The painting in this little gem is 1 1/8" in diameter and the case is 1 1/2" in diameter. Excellent condition.

A wonderful watercolor on natural wafer, painted by Robert Field. The sitter, a very pretty young woman with brown hair and eyes, is posed in front of a red drapery, and is wearing a black jacket over a white dress with a neck ruffle. The ebonized frame appears to be original, as is the cover glass which has a black and eglomise border.

The condition of this rare gem is excellent, with no cracks, chips, paint loss, or bowing. Except for a discolored area in the top right, the frame is also in ...

An extremely fine watercolor and gouache on organic substrate miniature portrait done by Henry Benbridge, painted in his crisp, realistic style. The sitter is attired in a blue coat and a white ruffled shirt and collar, the fabrics of which are carefully and richly depicted, a characteristic of Benbridge's work. The surround to the painting is gold, while the original case, with a pin on the reverse, is gold filled.

Both the painting and the case are in excellent condition. The sight size of t...

A superb pair of miniature portrait paintings done by Joseph Dunkerley. Labels on the reverse of each case identify the sitters as Joseph Packwood and Denise Wright Packwood, and are dated 1780.

Mrs. Packwood is wearing a large white hat with a blue ribbon and accents, a light blue gown with flowers embroidered on it and with dark lace edging at the bodice. Her husband is wearing a blue jacket and waistcoat, and a white cravat.

Excellent and scarce examples, and in fine condition. The gold...

A fantastic Clarissa Peters (Mrs. Mose B. Russell) mourning painting of a baby and toddler. Peters chose a simple palette of white and bluish-gray to emphasize the ethereal and ephemeral nature of the painting, reserving the use of colors to the hair, lips, and eyes of the subjects. Known for painting children, Peters' mourning paintings are scarce, and double mourning portraits are exponentially rarer yet.

Adding to the importance of this piece is the velvet lined gutta percha case, which h...

A spectacular Nathaniel Rogers painting done in watercolor on organic wafer. I very rarely, if ever, describe or refer to an item as "the best", or the "finest example ever". However, there is no question that this painting represents Rogers at the peak of his ability, which indeed is quite high. Further, the vast majority of his paintings are only bust length, and do not depict the hands of the sitter, not any additional objects. Here we have the subject sitting with an arm draped over a chair,...

An unusual and spectacular pair of portrait miniatures. Although both are signed by Moses B. Russell, it is almost certain, due to slight technique variances, that the portrait of the woman was done by Mrs. Moses B. Russell, nee Clarissa Peters. Although it is known that some of his signed pieces were, in fact, done by her, I know of no other instance where each artist did one of a pair.

The paintings are in excellent condition, with vibrant colors and no cracks, bowing, mold, retouch, ...

A superb Walter Robertson miniature portrait painting done in watercolor on natural organic material. The stately blue-eyed gentleman is wearing a powdered wig, blue jacket with gold buttons, salmon vest, and a white stock. The case for this fine piece is 14K gold, and the reverse has, under glass, 4 sections of hair set at right angles to one another.

The condition of both the painting and the case is excellent, with no issues whatsoever. The lighter sections near the edges of the mini...

This rare and fine pair of portrait miniatures were painted by John Porter in organic wafers. Each is signed "J.S. Porter 1824 Pinxt". The sitters are a well off husband and wife.

The condition of the miniatures is excellent, with no issues to speak of. Each is under glass, with card backing, gilt metal matting, and gilt foil edging. They are presented in a A.P. Critchlow & Co. case which still retains its original label and is also in excellent condition. Sight size of the paintings is 2...

A charming miniature portrait painted in watercolors on wafer. The sitter, with curly auburn hair and blue eyes, is simply attired in an off the shoulder sky blue gown, and is depicted in front of a cloud filled blue sky. Such a pose is often used to indicate that the work is a mourning piece. According to family history, the sitter is Lucy Ann Bainbridge, the daughter of Commodore William Bainbridge.

The miniature, in what might be the original case, which has a glazed aperture on the reverse...

A superb portrait miniature, painted by Nathaniel Rogers in watercolor on natural material. A note inside the case identifies the sitter as Charles B. Meek. Research has found that he lived in Canandaigua, Ontario, NY. Mr. Meek, a very handsome young gentleman, is posed sitting on a red chair, wearing a black jacket, with white waistcoat, shirt, and stock. The fine skill of Rogers is evident in the detailed luminosity of the face, the shadowing in the clothing, and the overall visual impact of t...

A finely painted miniature portrait, done in watercolor on organic substrate, by Pierre Henri. Done against a blue background, the sitter, a nice looking young gent with blue eyes and hair en queue, is wearing a brown coat with yellow lining.

The painting is in excellent condition, with no bowing, cracks, paint loss, or restoration. Set in a frame with a glazed blue material reverse. The sight size is 1 3/4" by 1 1/4".

Pierre Henri (c 1760 - 1822) was born in Paris and often went by the...

A nice example of a miniature portrait, painted by Nathaniel Hancock on organic material. The sitter is a woman in a blue gown with a lace edged bodice. The gold case has chamfered glass on the front, and the reverse identifies the sitter as "Ridgely 1791."

The condition of this little gem is very fine, with no flaws to speak of. There was some minimal clean-up of a few painting drips in the background. Overall size is 1 3/4" by 1 1/2".

BIOGRAPHICAL NOTE: Information about Hancock is rel...

A strongly limned portrait miniature, on natural material, done by Augustus Fuller. The subject is a young lady with dotted white organza collar and fichu, a tall tortoiseshell comb, and ruby and diamond earrings.

Fuller did sign a number of his miniatures, but apparently always on the back. Since this example is presented in its never opened original frame, it is possible that it is a signed piece. Regardless, because of the technique and composition, there is no question that this was done ...

A miniature portrait painting by John Wood Dodge of a U.S. naval officer, his position as such identified by the scarf and silver buttons on his jacket. He is posed wearing his glasses, which is rarely seen in portraits. The backing paper of the ivory contains the following information in Dodge's hand:
"Painted by/John W. Dodge/Feb 1850/Natchez Miss".
Based on the detailed records that Dodge kept of his commissions, the sitter is one of three possible men - James Metcalf, David Ker, or Mr...

A fine example of American folk art, painted by John Brewster Jr. on natural organic material. The sitter is a gentleman with light red hair and blue eyes. He is attired in a black coat, white vest, white ruffled shirt, and white silk cravat. The miniature is in its original case, the reverse with a glazed window containing a plait of hair atop which is a gold initial.

The condition is excellent, with no chips, cracks, bowing, paint loss, or restoration. The case is also in excellent condition...

A c1835 delightful and rare miniature by Pamelia Hill, depicting an attractive young woman with hazel eyes and reddish hair gathered in a snood. She is wearing drop earrings and a brooch just below the lace edging of her pleated, deep blue dress. And, of course, the aforementioned snood. Snood, snood, snood...that word always makes me smile.

The painting, in a red leather traveling case, is in excellent condition, having a sight size of 2 1/2" by 2 1/8", and a closed case size of 3" by...

A beautifully executed miniature done by Benjamin Trott in watercolor on organic wafer. The sitter, ethereally painted against a light bluish and peach background, is an attractive blue eyed young lady wearing gold and ruby earrings and a pale peach gown with a ruffled neck and a blue sash.

Although it is clear, based on the style and artistic techniques, that the painting was done by Trott, a fragment of one of his business cards was also found in the case the miniature is housed in.

The c...

A finely executed watercolor on organic wafer bust-length depiction of an attractive sitter wearing a white gown, pearl earrings, and pearl brooch. Accompanied by an old typed and written note identifying the sitter and providing other information: "This beautiful miniature of my Grandmother, / Eliza Bowen Cadwalder, was given to me by my mother, who / treasured it. My Grandfather was George Cadwalder, / California pioneer who was an original Forty-niner and / mined gold in California. / Painted...

A watercolor on organic wafer portrait, done by Matthew Jouett, of a young woman wearing a pale blue Empire style dress with a lace trimmed bodice and a blue hair band trailing from her head. Presented in a case with N. Grayson engraved in the interior.

The condition of the painting and the case is excellent, with no issues. Overall size is 2 7/8" by 2 3/8".

NOTES: 1. Although Jouett produced a large body of full portraits during his lifetime, signed or documented miniatures by Jouett are q...

An extremely powerful portrait attributed to Jeremiah Paul Jr., though it is possible that Benjamin Trott was the artist. In any case, due to the technique and strong features of the sitter, the painting has an immediate impact on the viewer and was done by a highly skilled artist.

The overall condition of the painting is excellent, as is the case, The size is 2 7/8" by 2 1/4". Please note that the first photo is an accurate depiction of the miniature, and the second photo, which has all man...

A fine portrait miniature, painted on natural wafer, by Julius Rubens Ames. The sitter is a gray-eyed gentleman of serious demeanor, attired in a black coat and vest with a white shirt and tie. Presented in a cast foliate case with a glazed aperture on the reverse. Also housed in a red leather, probably original, travel case.

The condition of the painting is excellent, with no flaws to speak of. The sight size is 2 1/2" by 2".

BIOGRAPHICAL NOTE: Julius Rubens Ames was born in Albany, NY ...

A fine portrait miniature of a handsome gentleman painted on natural wafer by Henry Inman. The sitter is wearing a black jacket and stock, and a white waistcoat, shirt, and collar. Displayed in a cast foliate case with the reverse having a glazed aperture with a cast foliate surround and containing a lock of hair.

The painting is in excellent condition with no issues to note. The case is also in fine fettle, although the reverse could use a bit of cleaning. At some point mounts for a broo...

A beautifully executed miniature portrait painting of a young gent, signed and dated "JH Kimberly Pinxt New York March 1844". It is in its original foliate cast case, measuring 2 3/4" by 2 5/16".

The miniature is in excellent condition, with no chips, cracks, bowing, paint loss, or restoration. (The blurriness in certain areas of the photo is due to light reflection.) The case is also in fine condition, with the reverse of it showing wonderfully engine turned work, and missing its surround an...

Painted in watercolor on natural wafer, this is a lovely portrait of an attractive young woman. The sitter, with a mass of reddish-brown curls and light brown eyes, is attired in a white dress with a restrained ruffles. She is not wearing any jewelry or other adornments, and is presented simply against a white background. Clearly, Lovett has done this intentionally, along with painting this is a smooth, wash style, rather than the much more common stippling, in order to emphasize her pale beauty...

A nice miniature painting done, in watercolor on natural material, by Ebenezer Mack. The sitter is dressed in a black jacket, and a white vest, shirt, and stock. Housed in its original gold case.

Although all of Mack's works are quite naïvely rendered, this example is even more primitive than most, indicating that it was done quite early in his career, probably in the 1785 time frame. His works are very rare, and he did not sign his paintings. His works have a similarity in some cases to tho...

A fine portrait on natural material of a gentleman in an early 19th century officer's uniform. Within the locket is the remnant of the backing paper of the miniature, which was incorrectly and poorly removed. A portion of the name "Miller" can be seen. Prior to this removal, a previous owner had written down on a piece of paper what had been on the backing paper. This is shown in the third photo and gives a portion of the sitter's name as John L. Sc?h???, the name of the artist (Miller) and the ...

A beautifully painted miniature portrait by Elkanah Tisdale. The sitter is a handsome older man dressed in a black coat. The painting measures 2 3/4" by 2 1/4", and is in superb condition, with no chips, cracks, bowing, paint loss, or restoration. It is housed in its original gilt metal insert.

Few miniatures by Tisdale are known to exist, and with very rare exception, are, as is the case here, unsigned.

BIOGRAPHICAL NOTE: Elkanah Tisdale (1771 - 1835) was born in CT and then moved ...

A simple but charming Benjamin Trott watercolor of an attractive blue-eyed young woman with a ribbon in her hair and dressed in a white empire gown. There are no condition issues. The sight size is 2 1/2" by 1 7/8", and the later frame is 4 7/8" by 3 78".

BIOGRAPHICAL NOTES:
1. From "The Smithsonian Art Museum": Benjamin Trott (c1770 - 1843), thought to have been born in Boston, ranks with Edward Greene Malbone and Charles Fraser as one of America's best miniaturists. During a long career t...

Confidently attributed to Edward Savage, this miniature portrait is painted on organic material. The sitter, who has a strong countenance and blue eyes, is wearing a deep blue coat with gold buttons, a white vest and shirt, and a white cravat.

The painting is in excellent condition, with no flaws, and is housed in a gilt copper case, the reverse of which has a glazed aperture containing woven plaits of hair.

BIOGRAPHICAL NOTE: Edward Savage (1761 in Princeton, Massachusetts – 1817 in Pri...

An extremely fine John Wood Dodge miniature portrait, done in watercolor on natural wafer. The sitter is a very handsome hazel-eyed young gentleman dressed in a white shirt and collar, with a black coat and osbaldeston cravat. The backing paper of the miniature is signed by Dodge as follows: "Painted by John W. Dodge Miniature Painter 42 Franklin St. New York Sept. 30th, 1836 Geo. C. Miller".

The miniature, as would be expected of Dodge's work, is superbly executed, and has no cracks, bo...

A very nicely painted miniature portrait done in watercolor on natural organic material. Signed "D.F. Ames NY" along the lower right. The sitter is a nice looking young gentleman in a blue coat with gilt buttons, a black stock tie, off-white vest and ruffled shirt. Based on the hair style and clothing the painting was done at the beginning of the period when Ames was known to work.

The miniature is without any cracks, chips, bowing, or restoration. It is of goodly size, housed in a 3" by 2 1/...

A charming miniature painting done in watercolor on organic wafer. The subject of this delightful work is a very pretty young woman, with brown hair and eyes, wearing a pleated white dress with a lace lined bodice, at the midpoint a brooch with flowers. An old label attached to the painting attributes this work to Moses B. Russell. Housed in a bronze frame with fabric backing.

The condition of the painting is excellent, with no chips, cracks, paint loss, bowing, or restoration. The sight size ...

A charming and well-limned portrait on organic wafer, of a young boy in a red dress, holding a ring. The glazed aperture on the back of the foliate cast case contains a photograph of what might be the sitter.

One side of old tag attached to the mini states "From E. Helena Sherman Estate 1997," while the other side of the tag says "Male child of Chapin family Boston 1840." However, the child in the painting is at least 4 years younger than the one in the photograph. Since photography came into...

An uncommon example of an early Abraham Parsell portrait miniature, done in watercolor on organic wafer. The sitter is a strong featured gentleman arrayed in the height of fashion for the period: a black jacket, white collar, cravat, ruffled shirt, and vest. The painting is in a cast foliate case which has on the reverse a glazed aperture with a cast foliate rim and containing a lock of hair.

The condition of the case is excellent, as is that of the painting, which has no chips, cracks, bowing...

A charming example of Abraham Parsell's ability to capture the essential characteristic of a sitter and portray them in a wonderful naïve manner. In the miniature portrait presented here we have a young man with striking blue eyes and a mound of curly hair. He is attired in a dark brown jacket, black vest, and white tie and shirt.

The condition of the painting is excellent, with no cracks, chips, bowing, fading, etc. There are some scattered black spots on the lower part of the jacket, quite ...

An extremely fine miniature portrait by John Henry Brown, done in watercolors on natural material. One of the best examples of his skill, showing an attractive woman, beautifully painted. Adding to the importance of this piece is that Brown used a trompe l'oeil technique in painting what appears to be matting around the portrait. Signed "J Brown Pinxt" lower left along the curved line of the matte. Inside the case was a piece of paper with information about the sitter: "Mary E. Mathias Lancas...

A rare c1835 American miniature by Mrs. Samuel Richardson (1790 - 1852), nee Schetky. It took quite a while, using various lighting settings and filters, to finally discern the almost illegible S (?) Richardson signature along the extreme right. That led me to one of the very few examples of her miniatures, one of which is in the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art (Kansas City, MO), which confirmed my interpretation. The painting and the cast foliate case which measures 2 1/8" by 1 3/4" are in excellen...

A fine miniature painting done in watercolor on organic material by Edward Marchant. Depicting an older gent in black tie, vest and jacket, the painting is in excellent condition with no issues. It is displayed in one half of a velvet lined leather travelling case. Sight size is 3 3/4" by 3", and a cased size of 6 5/8" by 5 1/2".

BIOGRAPHICAL NOTES (From Wikipedia and other sources): Edward Dalton Marchant (1806-1887), also known as Edward D. Marchant and E. D. Marchant, was an American...

A mourning portrait miniature by Elizabeth (Eliza) Goodridge. The work, painted in watercolor on natural wafer, is a depiction of a young boy's head issuing from a cloud beneath. Presented in a period, and probably original, case with a glazed, but empty, aperture on the reverse.

The condition is excellent, with no flaws, as is that of the case. The overall size is 2 1/2" by 2 1/16".

NOTES: 1. Eliza Goodridge (1798-1882) was born in Templeton, MA, and spent her younger years there and in the...

A superb miniature portrait of a handsome blue-eyed gentleman. Presented in a cast foliate frame with a hair tress in the glazed aperture on the reverse. Excellent condition. 2 3/8" by 2".

BIOGRAPHICAL NOTE: Thomas Seir Cummings was born in England in 1804, and was taken to NYC as a child, where he remained until he retired in 1866. He died in NJ in 1894. Cummings became a student of Henry Inman in 1821 and after three years went into partnership with him, which lasted several years. Wi...

A mourning portrait miniature attributed to John Henry Brown of an attractive young woman with blue eyes and long curly hair. The painting is in excellent condition with no problems. The velvet lined leather case is also in excellent condition, with normal and expected light wear to the exterior. The white flecks in the photographs are dust motes, and not present in person. Sight size is 3" by 2 1/2", and the case size is 3 5/8" by 3 1/8".

BIOGRAPHICAL NOTE: John Henry Brown (1818-1891), b...

A rare portrait miniature on organic wafer, painted by W.E. Mynerts (also referred to as M.E. Mynerts), depicting a rosy-cheeked young man wearing a black jacket and tie, and a white collar and shirt. The backing paper indicates that the sitter is Solomon Mills. Research into the name unearthed an obituary from the New Orleans Times of January 23, 1876 (4th photo below) which shows that Mills was born in MA in 1815, and had lived in New Orleans from 1836 until his death.

Housed in a cast foli...

A rare miniature portrait by Leopold Unger, painted with watercolors on organic wafer. The sitter, a very attractive blue-eyed young woman with brown hair done in sausage curls, has a wistful or slightly sad expression on her face and in her eyes. She is in a black dress with black lace edging at the bodice, and is sitting in a brownish-red chair, holding a red book, and with a multicolored scarf draped over her arm.

The miniature is signed "P. Unger. px. 1839" along the lower left. The bac...

A wonderful example of a portrait miniature painted by Mrs. Moses B. Russell (nee Clarissa Peters). This work, done in watercolors on natural wafer, is of a blue-eyed woman wearing a black dress with a brooch centered at the lace-edged bodice. Her strong visage, looking directly into eyes of the viewer, is offset by a beautiful and soft multi-colored background. Housed in a cast foliate case with the reverse engraved "SAWC" and having a lock of hair in the glazed aperture.

The condition of the...

A superbly limned portrait by Daniel Dickinson, done in watercolor on natural material. The sitter is a young man of the Brown family of Philadelphia. This painting was exhibited at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts, "Exhibition of Miniatures", April 22 - May 6, 1893, and was descended through the Brown family..

The condition of the miniature is superb, with no issues of any kind. The gold bezel is original, but the frame is a later Wiebold Studio reproduction, with both of these also bein...

A beautiful c1840 miniature, painted on natural material by Thomas Seir Cummings. The sitter, a gray-eyed young woman, is in a pale pink off the shoulder dress, and is resting against a blue cushion. The reverse is inscribed in pen with an illegible name and "22 yrs". Presented in a bronze surround set into a burl wood frame. Excellent condition with no issues. The sight size is 3 1/2" by 2 3/4", with a framed size of 7" by 6 1/4".

BIOGRAPHICAL NOTE: Thomas Seir Cummings was born in Englan...