E A R LY A M E RIC A N PO RT RA IT PA IN T E RS IN M IN IA T U RE TH E O D O RE BO L TO N N EW YORK O FREDERIC FAIRCHILD SHERMAN MCMXXI LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS MA L B O NE , EDWARD Ch arles Harris Fron tispiccc Ni cholas Bowm an FACI NG PA GE COPLEY, JOHN SINGLETON Self Portrai t VA N AM E s DYCK, J J ames Lyon H E N Y . R BROWN , J President Buch an an M DUNLAP, WILLIA President Tyler F ULTON , ROBERT S amuel Beach DUVAL, AMBROSE G . a r OV . Wm . C . C Cl ibo ne BO U N E TH E A U . , HENRY B r a Hen y M . Manig ult A R BAKER, GEORGE . , J . Andrew J ackson BIRCH , WILLIAM George Washin gton PE TTI CO LAs . , E A George Washington D R . M THORNTON , WILLIA George Washington RAMAGE, JOHN George Washin gton CLARK, ALVAN B arn a b as Cl ark iii FA CI NO PAG E GIMBREDE , THOMAS Mr . Schley BRIDPORT, H . C aroline Dugan INMAN , HENRY Por trait of a Lady JARVIS , JOHN WESLEY Miss J arvis ALLSTON , WASHINGTON i . Pra C apta n A H . y TROTT, BENJAMIN Lewis Adams P EALE , JAMES V n N r . a M s John P . ess M ANDRE , AJOR JOHN M argaret Shippen STAIGG M . , RICHARD John Lothrop Motley P ELHAM, HENRY Jon a th an Cl ark SAVAGE , EDWARD Self Por trait F IELD, ROB ERT George Washington a ar i M . D. J mes S gent Ew ng, WOOD , JOSEPH Por trait Of a Ma n MUNGER, GEORGE Self Por trait P HILL, AMELA Rebecca Dean S alisbury WILLIAMS , HENRY Sa muel Larkin HE p resent volume li sts as ma ny of the p ortra i t i n mi n i ature b t n at A , o h i ve meri ca ns a nd orei n a i nters worki n i n Ameri ca rom the f g p g , f earli est ti mes until 1 8 0 as i t has been ossible to 5 , p t t i cl de n ot n l i en umera e. I n u s o y vory mi n i atures b t sma ll o t a i ts i n oil a nd water colo a l u p r r r s wel . FOREWORD I TH E word min i a ture comes from min ium meaning r the r u n a r a ve milion , colo used by the ill mi to s Of m nu i ra At a i a k scripts as a border to the r deco tions . wh t t me li e ness with a vermilion border a bout i t was de tached from the p age of vellum an d used as a por table por trai t is both difficult Sufli ce it sa t a n an d useless to determine . to y h t the doze u n a ur r r a n a r ai r ndoubted mi i t es by the fi st g e t mi i tu e p nte , a n w r all ai on or a k H ns Holbei , e e p nted vellum , the b c s of a ar an d t at was a ri a ra the pl ying c ds, h the m te l gene lly used in sixteen th an d seven teen th centuries in En gl an d by such men as N a Hill arde aa an d P t r r k ichol s y , Is c e e Ollive , John Hos ins, a r a F a a an d a r r . S muel Coope , Thom s l tm n L w ence C osse It was n o t un til the beginning Of the eighteenth century t a t r was as a ai r a a h ivo y used p nting su f ce, but upon its dop t was u a v . a u ion it sed lmost exclusi ely S m el Shelly, John ar r r an d i ar Coswa Sm t, And ew Robe tson R ch d y, to mention a of n i at r a n r of r few the fi est English min u e p i te s the pe iod, a a n r on r an was n o ar i p inted lmos t e ti ely ivo y . The ch ge t p t c ularl for r Pa a t r r on i y the bette . inting in w e colo th n sheets o f ivory gummed at the corners to a piece of card is a most pre ari r ma r r c ous method . The colo y be uined o en tirely removed of a t r a n d the r by the touch mois ened finge ivo y, too , is most a r r ar a r sensitive to ch nges Of tempe atu e . Hung ne fi epl ace h e r o k r i i t ivo y is apt t buc le o spl t . As n the case of other a r t r ai aff h r P r t t e . e p inting, di ec sunlight is ce t n to ec colo s h aps the bes t way Of keeping the small portrai ts is in a ca b n a ca n r are n o t i et th t be cove ed when they being enj oyed . Gl ass a t the b ack as well as the face is an excellent m anner Of ra i r i a r f ming vo y min tu es . In more recent times the deriva tion Of the word mini ” “ ” a r has or i r tu e been lost confused w th the wo d minute, an d the word in its modern sense means simply a sm all por trait . Mini ature painting in America started with n o more tha n ' an r a a r for ra sn ufi box an d o n ment l pu pose b celets, tops , a i r i a i i i r w tch l ds . Even Cha les W llson Pe le pa nted m n a tu es r i Fi a i i a r ra r to se ve th s end . n lly t developed nto sm ll po t itu e w r i r r o thy Of a spec al f ame . The leisu e of the people Of the “ n ew r a r r rai epublic w s gene ously expended upon po t ts . The ” r was a t i i mad o n ra count y th s t me, the subject gene lly , ri Mr i M r a hi ar on w tes . John H ll o g n in s excellent ticle ai - Mémin a n d r ra r in i i a r an d en rav S nt , po t itu e O ls , m ni tu e g ri in a r h r i i ing flou shed a m nne it as neve s nce atta ned . ar r r M a uc Fra r P a Stu t , Sully, T umbull , T ott, lbo , se , the e le — family these an d m any lesser men could not supply the k Mi r i a . ar an d F dem nd Englishmen li e les , Bi ch, Sh pless eld a r an d a i i an d c me to the count y p nted w th success , countless Frenchmen varying from the excellence Of Saint- Memin to i ri med oc ty found full employment . was a r a ra a The movement pe fectly n tu l , spont neous r a ra a i is i n g owth . In m ny cases the c ftsm nsh p mpecca ble a d would cause astonishment to a n y on e n o t famili ar with the ri r r i r ra i — pe od . Fo the a t sts we e t ned a number h ad the advantage O f European tra ining but for the most par t they r i t a ned themselves . a r a r r i ar r r The l te mini tu es we e pa nted on l ge su fa ces . r r a ar a r a i Some we e ect ngul in sh pe, Often they we e p nted on a r n i i p pe a d on cab net s ze wood panels . viii Of all the rich variety O f portra its produced by the early Amer ican min i a ture pa inters m any compare with the work r a a r i n r F r a a a Of Eu ope n m ste s the a t . ou n mes st nd out bove — r lb n Fra r r a n F M a r a o e d . the est M , se , T ott ield ini tu es by the eminently ar tistic Edward M albon e h ave long been a r a r k Of i r e ge ly sought fte .