People wanted to carry "wallet-size" portraits of loved ones way before the invention of photography (and wallets). English 17th century innovation made this possible where artists painted palm-sized portraits. The small size required advanced portrait skill, producing amazing results. Some strokes were applied with a single-hair width brush. For example, viewing these images with a loop reveals eyelashes have individual strands. The "canvas" medium was also important: parchment (not pictured), celluloid (left), and ivory (right). Ivory offered superior luminosity. Here, avoidance of dark backgrounds allowed lighter colors to surround the figures, resulting in a less contrasting, but warmer feel. Kodak's predecessors made this art form obsolete, but more collectible.
6 comments:
I love the miniatures. Especially since I enjoy reading Jane Austen and other Regency period novels and they mention miniatures. Seeing them on your Guest Room Museum site makes me realize that these really were the "wallet size" photos of that century. Very cool!
I also always thought they were just small random paintings and not necessarily relatives of the (original) owners. If you are ever near New Orleans, their city museum has a great (in both quality and quantity) collection of miniatures. And unexpected for such a small museum, so that makes them stand out even more there.
I saw a collection of these once in South Carolina and several of them had a frame made from the very tightly woven hair of the subject of the painting. If I'm recalling it correctly, this was often done after the death of a loved one. A little macabre for my tastes but interesting nonetheless.
Interesting....I didn't realize miniatures were so popular "post-mortem". The hair thing would be a little wierd for me, too. Though the idea of painting one post-mortem is even more chilling.
There is a fascinating article about mourning jewelry and the use of hair in the production of mourning jewelry at http://www.hairwork.com/remember.htm. The article was originally published in Antique Week. Can you imagine drinking tea from a tea set made of hair? I think I'd rather have coffee.
Hair teacup...yes, creepy. But a lot of fine motor skills to appreciate in that. I guess serving Banana Foster in it would be a no-no.
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