Portrait of General Keith MacAlister
1805
unspecified
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art
1805
unspecified
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art
You see a small, round portrait of a man in a red military coat with gold trim. His face is calm, his hair powdered white. This painting is a miniature—tiny enough to hold in your hand. Artists like Smart painted them so people could carry loved ones’ faces in lockets or pockets. We don’t know if this was a final piece or a practice sketch, but Smart kept hundreds like it. Look up other works in the subject: england, 18th century.
