Eliza Weedon Shindler
Unidentified Artist New York, possibly circa 1820 Watercolor on ivory 2015.2 Gift of Eloise Brooks
Eliza Shindler opted to have her likeness made in miniature and not in full on canvas. Some artists specialized in this format, offering buyers the most personal and intimate form of portrait. These works were often done on a thin piece of ivory, adding monetary value to the piece. These pieces were then enclosed in a gold case and could include a lock of the sitter’s hair as a physical reminder of the individual.