Yale Bulletin and Calendar

August 26, 2005|Volume 34, Number 1

This watercolor-on-ivory portrait of Martha Washington by Robert Field is featured in the exhibit "Private Faces of Public People."

Private portrait miniatures showcase
the faces of public figures

Miniature portraits of notable Americans -- including statesmen, soldiers, artists and actors -- are featured in the Yale University Art Gallery's newest exhibit, "Private Faces of Public People: 1750-1900."

The exhibit features 29 portrait miniatures and examines the varied and often surprising roles such keepsakes played in the lives of both the sitter and the owner. Drawn from the gallery's collection of nearly 300 portrait miniatures, the exhibit includes works both recently acquired and those within the promised bequest of Davida and Alvin Deutsch, some of which are being publicly displayed for the first time.

The art of the miniature flourished in the United States from the mid-18th through the 19th century. The technique, emulating European precedents, traditionally involved using delicate cross-hatching and stippling in watercolor to create an image on ivory. Frequently worn as lockets or bracelet ornaments, portrait miniatures often served as surrogates for absent loved ones or as personal icons of honored individuals. "Private Faces of Public Individuals" focuses in particular on subjects whose public careers often necessitated their being away from family or friends for extended periods.

The exhibit includes a portrait miniature of George Washington, dated soon after his election as president, which he gave as a token of affection to his wife, Martha. On the reverse is a miniature of the couple's granddaughter, Nelly.

Also on view is a portrait of Captain James Lawrence, the War of 1812 naval hero and commander of the "Chesapeake," who, when mortally wounded, gave the famous command "Don't give up the ship!" The portrait, which had been a gift to his wife, includes a lock of Lawrence's hair.

Depictions of other illustrious figures, such as the Marquis de Lafayette and Andrew Jackson, document the vogue for ordinary citizens to acquire portrait miniatures of national heroes as a sign of patriotism and admiration.

"Private Faces of Public People" also includes a number of self-portraits by miniaturists, some created as advertisements of the artist's skill, others for personal use. A self-portrait by Benjamin West, created while he was still a struggling artist, was sent along with his marriage proposal to a young lady in Philadelphia. (The love token was accepted but not the proposal, as the girl's mother did not approve of West's "intended profession.")

Other portrait miniatures on view are of actress Eleanora Westray by William Dunlop; painter Rembrandt Peale as a teenager, created by his uncle, James Peale; and Elbridge Gerry, who was briefly vice president under James Madison and who coined the term "gerrymander," by John Ramage.

"Private Faces of Public People, 1750-1900" was organized by Robin Jaffee Frank, the Alice and Allan Kaplan Associate Curator of American Paintings and Sculpture. It will be on view through 2006.

The exhibit is on view in the wing at Chapel and High streets, adjacent to the main Yale Art Gallery building, 1111 Chapel St. (which is undergoing renovation and will reopen in 2006). The gallery is free and open to the public Monday-Saturday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. (until 8 p.m. on Thursdays September-June), and Sunday, 1-6 p.m. For further information, visit the gallery's website at http://artgallery.yale.edu. For more information on the gallery's upcoming open house, click here.

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Yale Librarian Prochaska appointed to a second term

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Private portrait miniatures showcase the faces of public figures

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IN MEMORIAM

John Ostrom: He revolutionized field of paleontology

Robert Abelson: Psychologist was adviser to presidential candidates

Greer Allen: University printer was inspiration to School of Art students