Miniature Portraits

Rebecca Willoughby · 09-29-2002, 10:30 PM

After doing some ancestry research, my mother-in-law found an ancestor of my husband who was a miniature portrait artist in England. Her name, she thinks, was Rebecca Willoughby. I started looking into miniature portraits and found a lot of material on the web. Most of it was based in England and other parts of Europe (especially Germany). This seems to be a very well-respected and old art form in England.

Does anyone know if there is any interest in this in the United States? I have begun a small (3" x 4") painting that I will post soon. It is tedious, but I really enjoy it.

Thanks to anyone in advance,
Rebecca

Michael Georges · 09-29-2002, 11:11 PM

Rebecca,

There are a number of miniature portraits in the museum in Charleston, SC. Many of these are really tiny like 1x1 inches and they are wonderful! Most were painted on ivory.

Steven Sweeney · 09-30-2002, 12:15 AM

I don't know why, but "Rebecca Willoughby" even sounds like a "right" name for a painter of miniatures. Though imagine the challenge of getting the signature painted in there -- like those fair booths where they carve your name on a grain of rice.

I first encountered miniatures in their own dedicated sections at exhibitions in Australia, so perhaps it is an Empire or European tradition. They were often spellbinding in their quality and detail. I wonder if the compact size was responsive to small, modest living quarters or the need to more easily move one's belongings from place to place, and then it simply developed as an independent genre or motif.

I have two splendid 2x3-inch landscapes I purchased Down Under, and I only subsequently learned that the artist also did large format landscapes as well. He said that the miniatures took him every bit as long to do as the large formats, but he could only sell them for about 1/10 as much. Buyers equated tiny with presumptively inexpensive. I suppose that could be a big disincentive for a "pocket portrait" artist, assuming one was trying to pay the rent with proceeds.

Chris Saper · 09-30-2002, 01:09 AM

I recall researching a bit on this topic for a project at my children's schools...there are a couple of societies. Try starting here:http://www.art-in-miniature.org/gallery1.htm and here: http://www.royal-miniature-society.org.uk/

Rebecca Willoughby · 09-30-2002, 10:35 AM

Thanks for the info Michael and Steven. I did a brief run through at the links you mentioned, Chris. Really great information and amazing images. I also found a couple in Tennessee who are miniature wildlife painters. They gave me their pricing and the amount of time that it takes them to complete a painting.

The New Orleans Museum of art has several miniatures from Russia that were painted on black laquered plaques and boxes. One of them illustrates an entire Italian opera on a 3" x 3" box!

My husband's ancestor painted using a brush with two to four hairs! You would have to really love it! I wouldn't be able to do it for long periods of time. The little painting I am doing strains my eyes after about an hour. She painted little portraits on ivory of ladies and children that gentlemen carried with them in their pockets. A really nice sentiment before photographs were available.

Artfully,
Rebecca

Michael Fournier · 09-30-2002, 12:09 PM

I'm a bit of an early New England colonial history buff and I seem to remember hearing or reading somewhere that the tradition of miniature portraits came about to fill the simple need for portable portraits.

Before there was the camera what do you think you would put in a locket?

These miniature portraits were given to loved ones or relatives and used by those who would be away, just as we may carry a photo today of our kids or wife in our wallet or have a small picture on our desk at work.

If you were a sea captain or a soldier you might have a miniature portrait done of your wife or other loved one to carry at sea or on a military campaign. That is the reason you will see many miniature portraits on ivory, which is very stable in harsh environments, or in a hinged frame to protect it.

Some were painted in reverse on glass. Those always amazed me. I just can't imagine painting the highlights and every thing that you would normally paint last, first. But that is how they did it.

So, I do not think this is a tradition that is limited to any geographical area, but by the fact that people from Imperial nations (those with colonies) had a need to travel to other areas and may be away from their loved ones for an extended period of time may make these more common in these countries, or their former colonies.

Marvin Mattelson · 10-01-2002, 12:25 AM

During the 18th and 19th centuries the majority of portraits were painted on porcelain. The porcelain portraits had to be painted with special paints and the artists had to allow for the color changes that occurred when they were fired.

People carried these the way we carry snapshots today. Even after the introduction of photography they remained in vogue since they were able to capture the portraits in full color (which photos were incapable of doing until much later). Each one is very special and the variety of sizes and frames makes each one unique.

Last year I had the pleasure of painting the portrait of Steve Fishbach who has been collecting these portraits for years. Steve

Patt Legg · 10-01-2002, 02:36 PM

It is funny, Rebecca, that you brought this all up for discussion. I have been interested in miniature portraits for a while now, I guess in part because I succumb to various (art-related) challenges. So, recently I ordered a set of miniature brushes and a little ivorine. The ivorine is a substitute that they use today as ivory is illegal. Sometimes you can find old piano keys that are being offered for sale and they were ivory.

I have not tried the actual tiny painting on ivorine yet as I have been searching for old watch fobs in order to do exactly as Marvin mentioned. I did not want to cut the ivorine to size until I knew the size. I am still searching for watch fobs (old or new) and lockets or pins. If anyone knows of such an outlet, let me know. I have one "practice" piece I tried on a piece of board. I will try to post it soon. It is not a good one yet, as I see I need to consider more practice. It was a 2 1/2 inch by 3 1/4 size. I do enjoy it.

I found the history of them being quite like that information that Michael gave here. They were certainly popular years ago due to lack of cameras. But I am not sure of the saleability of them.

I want to see what you have done already.

Ditto on the fact they are tedious and yes, I do think that one should get a good penny for them due to that fact and the fact that there are not that many to be found today.

Good Luck.

Patt Legg · 10-01-2002, 02:46 PM

My mini "Hunter", one of my grandsons. No, his eyes are not lopsided. I said I needed to practice on miniatures. Ha!

Michael Fournier · 10-01-2002, 07:06 PM

Marvin,

Yes, I forgot about porcelain portraits. Great detail. I am sure porcelain portraits were more common than those on ivory. We may see a lot on ivory here in Connecticut and Massachusetts, or near port cities due to the whaling industry in Mystic, CT and on the Cape and Nantucket.