Intimate Keepsakes: American Portrait Miniatures

In 2017, Charles Gilday, a noted collector and independent scholar, gave the Currier more than 25 American portrait miniatures dating from the 1770s to the 1930s. This important gift introduces this unique art form into the Currier’s strong American holdings. These delicate portraits – some measuring little more than an inch in length – are rendered in watercolor on thin slices of translucent ivory. Miniatures were often housed in gilt cases, some with plaits of the loved one’s hair. The exotic, fragile materials of miniatures enhanced their cherished associations.

Credit: Exhibition overview from museum website.