Artwork
Portrait of a Girl
Portrait of a Girl is a watercolor painting by the Rococo painting artist Nathaniel Rogers. It dates from 1835 and is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
About this work
Subject & Meaning
The work is catalogued within The American Wing of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, where it is displayed alongside other early American portraits.
The painting titled Portrait of a Girl, executed by Nathaniel Rogers in 1835, presents a young female sitter rendered in watercolor on ivory. As a portrait, it functions to record the appearance of the girl, a common purpose of 19th-century portraiture. The work is catalogued within The American Wing of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, where it is displayed alongside other early American portraits.
Its modest dimensions, about 6.9 × 5.5 centimeters, underscore the intimate scale typical of such studies. The depiction of a girl, without further identifying attributes, reflects the era's emphasis on documenting youthful subjects within the broader tradition of portraiture.
Technique & Style
Portrait of a Girl is executed in watercolor on ivory, a miniature-portrait support that combines translucent pigment with the smooth, luminous surface of an ivory sheet. The work is held in the Metropolitan Museum of Art's American Wing and measures 6.9 by 5.5 centimeters, a scale consistent with the small, intimate format typical of watercolor-on-ivory miniatures. The medium permits fine, controlled handling, while the ivory ground lends a soft, reflective warmth to the sitter's features.
Dating to 1835 and classified as a portrait, the piece reflects the conventions of nineteenth-century American miniature practice, in which delicate watercolor washes were built up in thin layers over the prepared ivory to model form and produce a refined, polished finish.
History & Provenance
The watercolor on ivory "Portrait of a Girl" is dated 1835 by artist Nathaniel Rogers, placing its creation in the mid-1830s within the artist's known period of activity. The work entered the collection of The Metropolitan Museum of Art, where it has remained since acquisition, and is catalogued with dimensions of 6.9 cm in height and 5.5 cm in width. No documented commission or earlier provenance prior to its museum accession is recorded in available sources.
The portrait is held by The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, where it is inventoried as 1975.1.238. It was first recorded in the museum's holdings in 1975 through an acquisition that placed it within The American Wing. The work has not been recorded as included in any subsequent exhibitions in the museum's published history.
Overview
Nathaniel Rogers's "Portrait of a Girl," created in 1835, presents a young female subject rendered in watercolor on ivory. This intimate work captures the likeness of a girl, whose direct gaze and gentle expression are central to the composition. The use of ivory as a support contributes to the delicate quality of the piece, characteristic of American portraiture from the period.
Context
This portrait exemplifies a popular form of American art during the early 19th century, where miniature portraits served as cherished personal mementos. Such works provided an accessible means for individuals to preserve the likenesses of loved ones. The piece belongs to a broader tradition of American portraiture, reflecting the era's aesthetic preferences and social customs for depicting individuals.
Artist & collection
Artist
Nathaniel Rogers (1787-1844) was an American miniature painter, born at Bridgehampton on Long Island, New York.
