When King George III gave a wedding gift to his bride in
1761 of a tiny portrait miniature of himself, little did he
know he was inspiring a fashion. The Queen posed for a
full-size portrait wearing the miniature on a pearl
bracelet, the fashionable of the day took note, and the fad took off.
The upper classes swarmed to have their own miniatures done, and a few
artists became known for such work. Richard Cosway was
possibly the most prolific and successful miniaturist,
counting Prinny as a patron, among many others.
The miniature portrait was being produced all over
Europe, but nothing paralleled the popularity of the medium
in Britain, especially between around 1769 to 1830. In short,
it was a favored Regency form of expression and decoration.
The practice of making miniature portraits began as a way
for monarchs and other members of the court to produce
likenessess which could be given away, mostly for diplomatic
purposes. Less costly than full portraits and much more portable,
they were imminently practical in an age without photography.
They soon became treasured as precious objects, however, and
put in opulent settings of gold, pearls and ivory.
Their sizes ranged from as small as 1x1 and a quarter inch
to 7x 4 with every variation in between. Most were oval,
but there was variation in shape as well as their manner
of being worn close to the body.
In addition to a bracelet, for instance, the miniature was
often worn as a necklace, on a watch fob, or as a brooch.
During the Regency, it was no longer only royalty who
commissioned them, but an increasing number of the middle
class. The main reason for having or giving one away? To
keep loved ones close at heart. What better way to remember
one's love than by sporting the likeness of the beloved?
An interesting variation of the miniature was the eye
miniature--a tiny portrait of one whole eye! Miniscule and
more intimate than a full portrait, the eye was considered
the window to the soul--thus being given an eye likeness was a
token of intimacy that "outranked" the usual miniature. In
addition, even secret lovers could safely exchange these,
since anonymity was guaranteed.
In 1786 the prince of Wales (the future Regent) paid five guineas for eye
miniatures of himself and Mrs. Fitzherbert, which were
encased in gold lockets. Later the prince had another eye
miniature made and even one of his mouth, presumably to
give to Mrs. Fitz. And before his death in 1830, though he
had abandoned her in life, the King insisted upon being
buried with the miniature of Mrs. Fitzherbert around his
neck; in effect, close to his heart. The Duke of Wellington, to be safe, checked the
corpse before burial. Sure enough, the miniature, set with
diamonds, was there.
Other uses for the portrait miniature were as tools for
grief and mourning, in which the deceased would be
remembered as they were in life; or as statements of deep
emotional states, such as melancholia, in which the subject
would most likely rest his or her head on one hand. The
sentimental usage of miniatures as love tokens or means of
remembrance, however, is largely what spurred their
popularity in the past, just as photos are wildly popular
for such reasons today.
The miniatures' popularity peaked at about 1830 and then
declined quickly with the advent of photography. The caliber of the artwork on them
is no less superb than on larger works of art, and today they are
museum pieces and heirlooms.
The portrait miniature: exquisite artwork that withstands
examination with magnifying glasses! I caught a recent
exhibition at the Cincinnati Art Museum and couldn't leave
without a copy of the accompanying (huge) catalog. To see a
few photos from the exhibit, click here:
LinoreRoseBurkard.com/minis.html
Linore Rose Burkard writes Inspirational Regency Romance as well as articles on Regency Life, Homeschooling, and Self-Improvement. She publishes a monthly eZine "Upon My Word!" which you can receive for FREE by signing up at linoreroseburkard.com/Regency_eZine.html her website quickly and easily. Ms. Burkard graduated from the City University of New York with a Magna Cum Laude degree in English Literature, and now lives in Ohio with her husband and five children.