Portrait Miniatures

Portrait miniature of Beethoven

Portrait miniatures flourished in Europe from the 16th century to the 19th century.  They served much as snapshots do today.  A traveling man might carry a miniature of his wife or girlfriend as a keepsake.  A rich man wanting to marry off his daughter would send a portrait miniature to potential suitors as a way of introducing her.

Portrait miniatures were usually done in gouache, oil, enamel, or, most often, watercolor.  Many were painted on ivory.  Some miniatures were small enough to be worn as jewelry, on snuff-boxes or on the small ivory boxes but bigger ones could be displayed in cabinets.

With the rise of photography, many miniaturists began trying to make their works look like photos.  However, this was a losing battle, and portrait miniatures as an art form had all but died out by the early 20th century.