Portrait miniature
Royal Ralph Hinman Portrait Miniature
A portrait miniature is a miniature portrait painting, usually executed in gouache, watercolour, or enamel.
Portrait miniatures were popular among 16th-century elites, mainly in England and France, and spread across the rest of Europe, remaining highly popular until the development of daguerreotypes and photography in the mid-19th century.
They were especially valuable in introducing people to each other over distances; a nobleman proposing the marriage of his daughter might send a courier with her portrait to visit potential suitors. Soldiers and sailors might carry miniatures of their loved ones while travelling.
Portrait miniatures were popular among 16th-century elites, mainly in England and France, and spread across the rest of Europe, remaining highly popular until the development of daguerreotypes and photography in the mid-19th century.
They were especially valuable in introducing people to each other over distances; a nobleman proposing the marriage of his daughter might send a courier with her portrait to visit potential suitors. Soldiers and sailors might carry miniatures of their loved ones while travelling.
Portrait miniature adapted from Wikipedia and licensed by The Cultural Me under CC BY SA 3.0