Description
This striking portrait is painted in the distinctive en grisaille style, set against a darkly painted background. The profile is painted in shades of grey directly onto ivory. The style of painting closely resembles that of the French miniature painter Henri de Janvry, who worked in England from London addresses. He exhibited at the R.A. 1798-1800 and may have worked in America. Quote: Miniatures, Dictionary and Guide, Daphne Foskett, pub 1979. Page 576.
In 1852, American photographic suppliers developed a plastic, or “ thermoplastic,” daguerreotype housing called a Union case. Although these cases were marketed mainly for daguerreotypes, they also framed some portrait miniatures. By the end of the Civil War, photography in the United States had overtaken miniature painting as the popular choice for small portraits. The style of dress indicates our portrait is from an earlier period and would have been housed in an oval frame showing more of the surface area of the painting.
