Self Portrait

Unknown Artist

ca. 1800–1805 · Watercolor on ivory · The American Wing

In this bold self-portrait, a miniature painter depicts himself with the tools of his trade, including paint brushes and an oval ivory palette with watercolor pigments (similar to those on display nearby). Seated in a colonial side chair and fashionably dressed in an embroidered blue waistcoat, he pauses from painting a miniature portrait of a young woman to meet the viewer’s gaze. Although the artist’s identity remains unknown, he is believed to have been biracial and likely worked in or around New Orleans, Louisiana, where this self-portrait was discovered.

Artist

Unknown Artist

Date

ca. 1800–1805

Medium

Watercolor on ivory

Department

The American Wing

Credit line

Dale T. Johnson Fund, 2014