Nicolet, Frank Lucien - portrait of Rodin with The Thinker

Update - This miniature portrait has been included only in the European section of the collection. However, as recent research has shown that that Frank Nicolet mainly worked in Canada, the entry is now also being shown in the American 20C section of the collection.


Although somewhat larger than most miniature portraits at 243mm x 165mm, this is a stunning miniature portrait by Frank Lucien Nicolet (1889->1944) of Auguste Rodin (1840-1917) standing by his most famous sculpture. It shows Rodin around 1905.

The bronze sculpture of Rodin shown here is by the British sculptor John Tweed (1869-1933), who was a good friend of Rodin.

It has been dated to around 1902 and is part of the Victoria and Albert Museum Collection, see www.vam.ac.uk/.../rodin/other_rodin/index.html

There is a miniature portrait of John Tweed in this collection which is painted by John Stewart Clark. Whenever Rodin visited London, he stayed with John Tweed.

An early painting of Rodin is this 1881 portrait by Francois Flemang (1856-1923).

No doubt there are other paintings of Rodin, but the miniature portrait, being nearly contemporary with Rodin, must be rare as a painted portrait.

There are many images of Rodin's sculptures available on the Internet, but not many photographs of Rodin himself.

Those available do seem to support the view that the miniature of Rodin represents him around 1905.

One example of a photograph is this 1905 portrait by Walter Henry Barnett which is helpful in dating the miniature, www.iatwm.com/200702/RodinZurich/index.html

The head of Rodin in the miniature portrait is about the same size as would appear in a normal sized miniature portrait.

No direct source for the miniature has been found, although a biography of Rodin includes several photographs which seem to have been taken around the same time, as he is wearing the same dust coat. Contact has been made with the biographer and also the Rodin Museum, but neither of them had seen the image previously.

As indicated below, it is even faintly possible that Nicolet painted the portrait from life, although Nicolet would have been only aged about 16 at the time the portrait relates to.

It is more likely that Nicolet painted the miniature of Rodin as an illustration for a magazine article, perhaps around the time of Rodin's death, but to date no such magazine article has been located.

He was in Canada at some stage as a kind visitor has advised that Nicolet used to go fishing with his father in Canada and in addition, painted a portrait of him.

While there he painted several images which were used for Victory Bond war posters. They included this one titled "Doing my bit- Four Years".

Other Canadian references to F L Nicolet are found in Canada as the painter of more World War I Victory Bonds posters such as "Be yours to hold it high" which is part of the Ontario Archives Collection at Canadian Posters from the First World War - Victory Bonds

Another poster by him is this 1918 poster of a soldier in poppy fields."If ye break faith, we shall not sleep".

Both the latter two posters were inspired by the words in the poem "In Flanders Fields" by John McRae, which was first published anonymously in the 8 December 1915 edition of Punch Magazine, as per the copy here below, where the words used on the posters can be seen.

It is owned by The Provincial Museum of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, see Parks Canada - Teachers' Corner - The Price We Paid for Nationhood ...

This second poster was used as part of a campaign to raise $150 million, but it was so successful it raised $400 million. As a result Frank Nicolet was awarded a prize by the Canadian Government, see Amanda French SCMLA 2005 Poetic Propaganda and the Provincial ...

An example of the poster which is 61cm x 89 cm, was sold at auction on 19 April 2008 for a hammer price of $300.

There were a number of poems written in reply to Flanders Fields and some of them can be read at Reply-poems to In Flanders Fields

It has been difficult to find further many definite references to Nicolet the person, as opposed to the artist, but it seems likely that he is the Frank Nicolet listed in the 1930 USA census as lodging in White Plains, Westchester, NY. He described himself as an artist who had arrived in America in 1912, having been born in England in 1889 of French and English parents.

There is also a USA draft registration record of June 1917 completed by Frank L Nicolet born 21 October 1889 at Brighton, Sussex, England, who described himself an artist and at that time was living in New York. However, most references say he was born in Sussex England in 1887 and immigrated to Canada at an early age.

After the end of World War Nicolet continued to create posters, including this 1919 one about reconstruction which is part of the Elizabeth Coenan Collection, Provincial Museum of Alberta.

Although no record of him has been found in British census records, it may be that he was the son of Theophile Nicolet (1849-?) of St Etienne, France and Clara Clements (1860-?) his wife who was born on the Ganges, in India. They were married in JFM 1880 and are recorded in the 1891 census record, where Theophile Nicolet was a teacher of languages who lived in Brighton, Sussex, England with five children.

There are a couple of art records for watercolour paintings by a Theophile Nicolet dated 1913 and 1915, one titled "Venise" and the other "Bord de rivière" thus it seems possible that the Nicolet family were in France or Italy at some point after the 1891 British census.

Given this it is quite possible Frank Nicolet did meet Rodin in France.

There are references to Nicolet also making posters for World War II, see Liste alphabétique des titres : À nous de jouer : guide pratique ... 251

Unknown - portrait of United States Army officer

This miniature portrait is unsigned and is painted on porcelain. It has been included in the American 20C Gallery on stylistic grounds, as it was painted around 1900, although it will have been based on a photograph taken some 20 years earlier.

As it is painted on porcelain, it was most probably painted in Germany, being copied there from a photograph sent from America. American artists did not paint on porcelain, although they did sometimes paint on milk glass.

Although the sitter is unknown, it is clear he was of a Major or Colonel's rank in the United States Army. He is wearing the 1872/1879 pattern Senior Officer's frock coat which only differed in the cuffs from 1872 to 1879. The Senior Officer's coat had 18 buttons in a double row and was worn by Majors and Colonels. For a comprehensive article about the 1872 uniform, see 1872 officer's dress coat: A photo survey, The Military Images ... -

The complete rows are not visible in the image, but the Senior Officer's coat can be distinguished from the Junior Officer's frock coat which had 14 buttons and were in consequence, more widely spaced.

On his shoulders can be seen the Shoulder Knot, also called the Russian Knot. This was only used on the Frock Coat and was authorised for all ranks, except generals. The Shoulder Knot came in several color combinations and showed the branch of the army and the wearer's rank. Shoulder Knots were used in the Full Dress Version while Shoulder Boards were used in the "Undress" version.

It is interesting to note that his collar is turned down and his shirt can be seen, whereas the modern versions of 19C uniforms illustrated here show the collar upright. The significance of this not known for sure, but a knowledgeable source advises that in the 19C, officer's uniforms were private purchase, so there were variations. The army wasn't as strict with minor points of the uniform as they are today. This collar probably was such a variation. It may have been made to wear as either a stand-up or lay-down collar.

Modern made examples of the Senior Officers' Frock Coat and the Shoulder Knot are shown here and are available for purchase at US M1872 junior & senior officer's frockcoat (Indian Wars), 19th ...

The sitter in this portrait is unknown. 1289

Underwood, Ethel B - portrait of a lady with a dog

This miniature is signed at the lower right "E B Underwood 1904" for Ethel B Underwood who was born in Massachusetts in June 1874. It is very unusual in that the sitter has a dog on her knee. It is the only miniature in the collection to show a pet, apart perhaps from a family group where one of the children is holding a butterfly on a string, although it is conceded it may be stretching things a little to call a butterfly a pet.

There were several people named Ethel Underwood and so it has been a little difficult to determine which one is correct. However, on balance, Ethel is believed to have been the youngest of four children of George L Underwood (1832-c1900), a physician of Boston, MA and Katherine L Luyster (Kate), (May 1839-Feb 11 1911) of New York, who were married 14 Apr 1859 in New York.

Katherine was the daughter of the prosperous Massachusetts merchant, Abraham R Luyster, also of Westfield, Richmond, NY who in the 1850 census disclosed assets of $45,000. In the 1870 census, George and Kate Underwood lived in Ward 10, Boston, disclosed assets of $15,000 and had one servant.

Ethel's brothers were George R Underwood (1863-?) a Boston purchasing agent, Herbert Thaxter Underwood (1873-?) a Boston architect, and Western Underwood (1867-?) a Los Angeles banker.

Thaxter Underwood was involved in the design of the first outdoor swimming pool built in America, in Belmont, MA and opened Jun 17, 1912. It was named the Underwood Pool for his uncle, see Town of Belmont, MA - History of the Underwood Pool He also designed the Jacobethan Revival Rectory at 676 Washington Street, Brighton which was constructed in 1913 by W.J. Larsfield of 20 Leamington Road, Brighton, from designs provided by H. Thaxter Underwood of 46 Cornhill, Boston.

In the 1900 census, and recorded as E B Underwood, Ethel lived in rented premises with her widowed mother in Manhattan, NY and described her occupation as miniature artist.

She is recorded as having exhibited at the Third Annual Exhibition of the American Society of Miniature Painters, see NY Times Feb 2, 1902 PAINTERS OF MINIATURES.; Third Annual of the American Society at ...

The exhibition included eleven miniatures by Laura Coombs Hill and four by William Jacob Baer.

Ethel seems not to have married as in the 1920 census she appears to be living in Middletown, Orange NY and gives no occupation, although she had two lodgers living with her.

No other examples of her work have been seen to date. However, she must have painted quite a number and was very competent. The painting of the dog here is very well done, as are the hands and the jewellery.

The breed is now called a Cavalier King Charles spaniel, although that name was not in use at the time the miniature was painted. Then it was a King Charles Spaniel, with the breed Cavalier King Charles being developed in the 1920's.

The breed has often been associated with Royalty and King Charles II went so far as to issue a decree that the King Charles Spaniel could not be forbidden entrance to any public place, including the Houses of Parliament. Such spaniels can be seen in many paintings of the 16th, 17th and 18th centuries. These early spaniels had longer, pointier snouts and thinner-boned limbs than today's.

For much about the breed see Cavalier King Charles Spaniel - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The sitter is unknown. 1277

Deane, Lillian Reubena - portrait of Miliza Korjus

This is a large miniature portrait at 150 mm by 115 mm. It is vertically signed at the lower right "L Reubena Deane" for Lillian Reubena Deane (24 Sep 1880-24 Jun 1972) who was born and worked in Chicago and also worked in Los Angeles.

On the reverse of the frame there is an inscription "Portrait on ivory of "Meliza Korjus", "The Great Waltz" (music by Johann Strauss) by Lillian Reubena Deane July 1945."

Miliza Korjus (aka Meliza Korjus) (1912-1980) was an opera singer whose operatic appearances and recordings quickly propelled her to the forefront of European singers and earned her the nickname "The Berlin Nightingale".

She decided to leave Estonia in 1933 to pursue a career as an opera singer in Western Europe and then in Hollywood. Seven years later, at the outbreak of World War II, the Soviet Union occupied and annexed Estonia. Mass deportations and arrests followed the communist takeover, and the Korjus family never returned. Estonia regained its independence with the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991.

The family eventually settled permanently in the United States, where Miliza Korjus got her big break in Hollywood in 1938, playing a leading role in the critically acclaimed film "The Great Waltz," about the life of composer Johann Strauss. She was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for the role.

Korjus's film career was brought to an end by a bad automobile accident in 1940, when she was hospitalized for nearly a year, but she toured as a singer, then stayed in Mexico during World War II and also made a number of records. She retired from the concert stage in 1952.

Her concert at Carnegie Hall in 1944, after an absence of some ten years from the opera stage, was welcomed. Time magazine acknowledged she was a little rusty, but commented "Miliza Korjus is not quite as good as her recordings, but she is one of the best coloraturas U.S. concert goers have heard in a decade". See The Marvelous Miliza - TIME At the time she had purchased as her home, the Spanish-style villa in Hollywood that Rudolph Valentino built just before his death. For more about her, see Miliza Korjus - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

In 1998, six decades after she left Estonia with her family, Meliza's daughter, American-Estonian Melissa Wells then aged 64, returned to the land of her birth to serve as U.S. ambassador. Melissa Wells handed her credentials over to Estonian President Lennart Meri on November 3, 1998. At the time she said "To come back to the place where I was born, with Estonia as a free and independent country and after its occupation and its tragic history...it is a dream come true, it’s a miracle." Wells also served as U.S. ambassador to Zaire, Mozambique, Guinea-Bissau, and Cape Verde.

There are two other miniatures by Deane in this collection. Firstly, the self portrait shown here which is dated 1900. Secondly, the miniature of Isobella Mendez in a very colorful dress, which is dated 1929.

Lillian Deane had a long career, as these examples of her technique cover a period of 45 years, being painted in 1900, 1929, and 1945. Over such a long period she must have painted many miniatures, but no other examples are currently known.

The 1900 self portrait was painted when she was only 20 years old. It shows that she was a competent painter of faces, but already had an interest in the clothing of her subjects, as she has painted her dress in some detail.

The 1929 and 1945 miniatures show that her fascination with color and costume became more important to her than capturing a photographic likeness of her subject. The 1929 painting of the dress is a masterpiece of color and detail. The 1945 miniature also concentrates on conveying a rainbow of pastel colours.

Being able to show these miniatures together as a tribute to Lillian Reubena Deane is a pleasure and also an opportunity to show that some miniaturists moved beyond the concept of photographic likeness, to capture color in an impressionist manner.

One could say of Deane's work, that she used the face of the sitter only as a prop to support her painting of the costume, whereas most miniature painters used costume as a prop to support their paintings of a sitter's face. 1281

Newell, Claude Potter - portrait of lady and daughters

This portrait has been acquired for the collection, although many collectors would not regard it as miniature portrait due to its size. However, it is painted using miniaturist techniques and thus provides a most unusual and large example of a miniature painter's skill.

Given the size and the amount of detail, it must have been a very expensive portrait when it was painted.

It is signed "C P Newell 1924" for Claude Potter Newell (1870->1930). He does not feature in the reference books, but was a highly regarded artist who painted wedding anniversary miniature portraits of Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt.

Two miniatures by C P Newell do appear in this collection. They are dated 1916 and 1918. See Newell, Claude Potter - portrait of a 20C lady and Newell, Claude Potter - portrait of a child

The size is 350 mm x 270 mm, thus it is really too large to be described as a miniature. It is painted on a hard thin white substance which is glued to card, so the reverse of the ground cannot be inspected.

It is too large to be a single sheet of ivory and no joins are apparent, although the ground is of similar thickness to that used for normal ivory miniatures.

Hence it must be on a thin sheet of ivorine, a plastic product which was first produced by the Xylonite Company in 1866.

Although much larger, the frame is the same design as was used for miniature frames around 1920, with an ornate chased border and a hanger of typical American design.

The portrait is very detailed, something that is really only possible because of the ivorine ground.

The detail would be lost if it had been painted on canvas or paper.

Most large portraits are not designed for close inspection and need to be viewed from a distance to appreciate the skill of the artist.

However, this portrait can be viewed under a magnifying glass and the skill in painting the detail of the faces and dresses is then appreciated.


It is sometimes said that the evidence of a skilled artist becomes apparent when one looks at how hands are painted.

Many artists are deficient in this area, but the close up image shown here indicates that Newell was very skilled at painting hands.

The sitters are unknown. 1260

Eckardt, Otto - portrait of Jane Spottswood Keller

This miniature is signed inside "Painted by Otto E Eckardt, Dresden, 1901" and identified as "Jane Spottswood Keller aged 7 years". As with other portraits by Otto Eckardt in the collection, it is believed the portrait was painted in Germany, as a copy of a photograph sent to Germany from the United States.

Jane Spottswood Keller was born 10 Mar 1893, the daughter of David Alexander Keller and Alice Cooke who married in 1883. The family was wealthy and in the 1900 census, Jane had her own governess. She was a second cousin of of the famous blind and death author, Helen Keller (1880-1968) who wrote "The Story of My Life". Jane's mother, Alice was the daughter of Lyttleton Cooke, a lawyer and a highly respected member of the Kentucky bar, see Lawyers and Lawmakers of Kentucky, by H. Levin, editor, 1897 ...

Jane Keller married George Danforth Caldwell, a lawyer, on 5 May 1918 and they had one son, David Keller Caldwell who was born in 1928. He wrote a book about dolphins, see 0397007345: The world of the bottlenosed dolphin by David Keller ...


The miniature of Jane was purchased as a single lot containing four miniatures, all shown here. (Also shown below to assist family researchers, are two more miniatures from the same family, but that went to a different buyer.) They all came from the collection of G. Vernon Diab of Louisville, Kentucky.

One of the other miniatures in the lot, the man with grey hair and a moustache is identified on a tag as David Keller Caldwell and painted by John Ramsier (1861-1936). However, David Keller Caldwell was born in 1928 and hence the clothing does not look right for the 20C. It is signed with initials "K D A", but the full name of the artist has not been determined.

It seems more likely the miniature is of a different family member, perhaps Jane's father David Alexander Keller (27 Jul 1853 - 24 May 1926). David was a cousin of Helen Keller (1880-1968). Like Helen Keller, David Keller was obviously also a strong minded person, as in the 1900 census he described his occupation as "capitalist". However, he also appears to have been a founder of the Louisville YMCA.

By comparison, the miniature here of a bald man that does look like a photo, although unsigned is confidently attributed as painted by John Ramsier. It is of Hon James Guthrie, who was the great-grandfather of Jane's husband, George Danforth Caldwell. Guthrie had a number of political positions, including Secretary to the Treasury. For much more about this portrait, see Ramsier, John - portrait of Hon James Guthrie

The fourth miniature (possibly an over-painted photograph) of a man with both a moustache and beard is of John F Henry (22 Jun 1839-1899) a Confederate veteran who married Mary Churchill Richardson 30 Sep 1869. He has been identified as John Flournoy Henry, son of a Kentucky congressman (1827-1829) of the same name. John Flournoy Henry junior wrote a book entitled "A History of the Henry Family From its Beginning in this Country to the Present Time" which was published in 1900, just after his death.

As a Civil War soldier, he had joined Lieutenant Colonel Tom Woodward's Second Kentucky Regiment of Cavalry, attached to General Bedford Forrest's Brigade. He was actively engaged in the Tennessee campaigns, and participated in the hard-fought battles of Chickamauga, Farmington, Maryville, Resaca, as well as those of Kennesaw Mountain, Saltville, and Bentonville. He was severely wounded at Farmington, October 7, 1863, just subsequent to Chickamauga, through which desperate fight he had passed unharmed. Returning to his command, he was unexpectedly, and wholly without his solicitation, promoted, by general brigade orders, to official rank in the commissary department, but so averse was he to leaving the field of active service that he procured a reversal of the order and remained throughout the struggle a private soldier.

Henry became engaged with an extensive cotton firm of Charleston, Savannah, and Augusta in collecting, rebaling, and shipping cotton from the interior to the coast. From this he was called to a position of responsibility in a cotton bagging and baling rope manufacturing establishment in Louisville, where he took up his residence November 1, 1865. He became a member of the firm January 1, 1869, but in 1873 its factory was burned. After closing its large business in 1874, Mr. Henry formed a partnership, establishing the firm of Patterson, Henry & Co., which for more than seventeen years ranked among the first pork-packing and provision houses in its section. Early in 1892, having been chosen Second Vice-President and Trust Officer of The Louisville Trust Co., he abandoned commercial pursuits and devoted himself to the affairs of that large financial institution, of which he became the vice-president.

The sale included a number of other miniatures from the Diab collection and the pair of miniatures of two men represent a sad side effect of an auction, when a family is split up and sold as different lots.

The portraits of two men in the auction were identified as on the left Edward Sheggog, painted in March 1839 at Philadelphia by Mrs A C Staughton (Anna Claypoole Peale) and on the right Alexander Moore Keller by John Ramsier. Unfortunately they sold well above estimate to another bidder ($3220 compared to $500-$700) and thus could not remain with the portraits of Jane Keller and her other family members.

Research has identified Alexander Spottswood Moore Keller (14 Nov 1813-3 Mar 1857) as the grandfather of Jane. He married Jane Elizabeth Sheggog (1819-1865) and so it seems likely that Edward Sheggog was either Jane's great-grandfather or a great-uncle.

All the miniatures were accompanied by tags with their names on, possibly written by G Vernon Diab, but it does seem there may have been a mix up with some of the names. The younger portrait of Alexander Moore Keller does not look like the work of John Ramsier (1861-1936), who was not active at the time it was painted. However, it is possible that it is a copy by John Ramsier of a portrait by another artist. Perhaps more likely is that the wrong miniature was attributed to John Ramsier when the tags were written. 1253, 1254, 1255, 1256

Colby, Clara - portrait of Commodore Edward Preble

To date, nothing has been found about Clara Colby, who appears to be a hitherto unrecorded artist. However, she was obviously a very talented artist.

The profile miniature portrait has a plaque reading "231 Commodore Preble - Clara Colby". It is signed on the lower right "Clara Colby" and on the backing paper it is inscribed "Commodore Preble - painted on ivory by Clara Colby". The significance of the number 231 is unknown, perhaps it relates to an exhibition reference number.

The frame is of solid wood with a thick, turned ivory fillet surrounding the miniature itself. This is a very expensive and unusual type of frame. A little unfortunately, it appears when Clara Colby copied the portrait from the medal, she was not aware of the correct shade of blue for his uniform, as it should have been navy blue.

The obverse and reverse of the Congressional Medal of Honor awarded to Commodore Edward Preble (1761-1807) of Falmouth, Maine, in 1805 for his efforts against the Barbary pirates of Tripoli, are shown here. The reverse shows the attack on Tripoli.

The medal was based upon a portrait drawn by Rembrandt Peale, a member of the famous American family of miniature painters. It was drawn as Preble passed through Philadelphia on his way home, about two weeks after the award was made public. The actual medal was given to him in 1806, not long before he died in 1807 at the age of 46.
For much more about him, see United States of America Congressional Gold Medal Recipient Edward ...

Interestingly, a miniature portrait painted by his great-granddaughter Alice Preble Tucker De Haas, was a recent addition to this collection, see De Haas, Alice Preble Tucker - portrait of a young... 1230

Korzybska, Mira Edgerly - portrait of three sisters

It is hard to comprehend the large size of this miniature portrait without visual clues. It is very large for a miniature on ivory, with the maximum sight dimensions being 215 mm x 120 mm (8.5 inches by 5 inches). The image here does not do justice to its brightness and clarity.

It is signed at the lower right "EDGERLY.K.34". This stands for the American artist Mira Edgerly Korzybska (18 Jan 1879-13 Jul 1954).

Born in Illinois, Mira Edgerly spent her childhood in MI, where her father was an inventor and a director of the Michigan Central Railroad. Largely a self-taught artist, she began working with portrait photograph Arnold Genthe, reportedly studied with Frank Brangwyn in Paris, and was urged to pursue her love of painting on ivory by the artist John Singer Sargent.

At a time when most miniature portraits were the size of one's palm, Mira Edgerly specialised in using large ivory pieces. Through the world's largest ivory cutting house in London she obtained sheets of ivory cut into pieces 6 by 12 inches or more. She carefully selected ivory with translucent qualities, giving special brilliance and luminosity to colours. Sargent, on seeing her paintings, said, "Here at last is a portrait on ivory, not a miniature."

Edgerly became a sought after portraitist among the upper echelons of American and European society as well as the entertainment and literary worlds. Her work took her to and from New York, London, Paris, California Washington, Latin America, and Chicago. Many of Edgerly's portraits are catalogued at Columbia University, including those of Elsie de Wolfe, Doris Duke, and Aileen Vanderbilt. However, very few are available to view.

There is a reference to her (as Myra Edgerly) in "The Autobiography of Alice B Toklas" (1933). "Mildred Aldrich once brought a very extraordinary person Myra Edgerly. I
remembered very well that when I was quite young and went to a fancy-dress ball, a Mardi Gras ball in San Francisco, I saw a very tall and very beautiful and very brilliant woman there. This was Myra Edgerly young. Genthe, the well known photographer did endless photographs of her, mostly with a cat. She had come to London as a miniaturist and she had had one of those phenomenal successes that Americans do have in Europe. She had miniatured everybody, and the royal family, and she had
maintained her earnest gay careless outspoken San Francisco way through it all. She now came to Paris to study a little. She met Mildred Aldrich and became very devoted to her. Indeed it was Myra who in nineteen thirteen, when Mildred's earning capacity was rapidly dwindling secured an annuity for her and made it possible for Mildred to retire to the Hilltop on the Marne."

And "Myra Edgerly was very earnestly anxious that Gertrude Stein's work should be more widely known. When Mildred told her about all those unpublished manuscripts Myra said something must be done. And of course something was done. She knew John Lane slightly and she said Gertrude Stein and I must go to London. But first Myra must write letters and then I must write letters to everybody for Gertrude Stein. She told me the formula I must employ. I remember it began, Miss Gertrude Stein as you may or may not know, is, and then you went on and said everything you had to say. Under Myra's strenuous impulsion we went to London in the winter of nineteen twelve, thirteen, for a few weeks. We did have an awfully good time. Myra took us with her to stay with Colonel and Mrs. Rogers at Riverhill in Surrey. This was in the vicinity of Knole and of Ightham Mote, beautiful houses and beautiful parks. This was my first experience of
country-house visiting in England since, as a small child, I had only been in the nursery. I enjoyed every minute of it. The comfort, the open fires, the tall maids who were like annunciation angels, the beautiful gardens, the children, the ease of it all. And the quantity of objects and of beautiful things. What is that, I would ask Mrs. Rogers, ah that I know nothing about, it was here when I came. It gave me a feeling that there had been so many lovely brides in that house who had found all
these things there when they came."

Mira married Frderick Burt in 1914 in New York before they headed to Europe MIRA EDGERLY WEDS.; She Becomes the Bride of Frederick Burr at ... The wedding notice comments that she had painted a miniature of Princess Patricia, a grand daughter of Queen Victoria, while in Ottawa. However the marriage does not seem to have lasted very long, whether due to the death of Burt or divorce is not clear. Mira returned to America by herself in August 1914 on SS Carpania.

In his 1944 book "As Much as I Dare", Burgess Johnson made the following comment; "In the early days of the first World War, two or three young women who had been students of mine were working for the Red Cross and the Food Administration in Washington and shared an apartment. Mira Edgerly was then painting portraits at the national capital and I wrote them that they should meet her. They invited her to tea where she proved to be the center of interest. Late in the afternoon a young Polish officer arrived, an engineer assigned by his government to inspect munitions purchased by Poland in America. According to the accounts of my young friends he settled down by the Edgerly's side for the balance of the afternoon and the two were there when everyone but the hostesses had gone. Two months later Mira Edgerly and Count Alfred Korzybski were married."

Johnson's memory seems to be a little out however, as the marriage to Alfred was in 1919, which was after WWI, not in the early days of WWI. Count Alfred Korzybski (1879-1950), was a well-known Polish-American linguist, author, and pioneer in semantics, and for some years Mira successfully juggled her art with helping her husband in his endeavours.

The couple lived in various places throughout the USA, and when Korzybski was appointed head of the Institute of General Semantics, they divided their time between Chicago and Lakeville, CT. Both are buried in the cemetery in Lime Rock CT, the town next to Lakeville. For more about their meeting see Edgerly, Mira

A large quantity of her papers are held at Columbia University see Mira Edgerly Korzybska Papers ca.1850-1960. and it is hoped that the papers may be able to reveal the names of these three sisters, as to date the sitters have not been identified. Columbia University was twice approached to see if they could please check the work books they hold that record all Mira Edgerly's work, to see if there was a record of a miniature of three sisters, but unfortunately they have never replied. 1242

Wheeler, Janet - portrait of man and lady

This pair of miniatures are believed to both be by Janet Derinda Wheeler (1866-1945), although only the one of the lady is signed "Janet Wheeler". This may be her married name, as in the 1910 census she stated she was living with her stepson Leon Wheeler aged 17. However, she always seems to have described herself as single and so it is possible Wheeler was her maiden name.

She was born in Detroit, MI and trained in Paris at Academies Julian and Courtois. She won several medals, including a gold medal at the Philadelphia Art Club in 1902 and a silver medal for painting at the Louisiana Purchase Exposition of 1904, see Final Report of the Louisiana Purchase Exposition Commission by ...

There is some confusion over her year of birth and she has added to this by the various dates of birth she gave when returning to the United States from her many trips abroad. In the census records she disclosed assets of only a few hundred dollars and it is not known how she funded her overseas trips, of which there seem to have been at least 20, mainly to Europe.

She was very accurate with her birthday, always shown as 24 December and her state of birth as Michigan, but the years she stated in her immigration declarations for her birth year include; 1860, 1861, 1866, 1867, 1869, 1870, 1872, 1873, and 1874 !!
For the 1900 census she stated the year was 1866, and at the time she was living as a boarder in Philadeplphia and 1866 is also stated in other census records.

The miniature of the man is interesting as the overall portrait of him shows how artists bought ivory sheets and then needed to cut them to the desired shape to avoid imperfections.

Both of the sitters are unknown. 276a, 276b

Poultney, Richard Curzon - portrait of a young lady

This is an interesting miniature portrait. It is signed with a monogram and date "R C P 1889" for Richard Curzon Poultney. Poultney is described in Blattel as a British artist, but research has shown that he was actually American.

The miniature is interesting as it is the earliest American miniature in this collection showing the influence of the brighter palette associated with Impressionism.

Most miniatures prior to this date were trying to imitate photographs. However, it seems Poultney went and studied in Europe and was influenced by the Art Nouveau style. This miniature seems much more like a life portrait, than a copy of a photograph.

Poultney was a member of a very wealthy family from Baltimore, Maryland. He was born in 1860 and died as still a young man in 1897. If he had lived longer, it seems almost certain he would have become as well known as other 1900 miniaturists such as WJ Baer, Alyn Williams, and Eulabee Dix.

There are two references that record Poultney as an artist. The Baltimore directory for 1890 lists him as an artist living at 1320 Bolton St , Baltimore. Then on Jul 30 1894 he arrived back in USA from Europe on the SS Umbria, giving his occupation as artist.

In the 1880 census he is recorded as living with his parents Thomas and Susan Poultney and siblings in Baltimore where his father was with the Baltimore Oil Company.

His uncle Walter de Curzon Poultney (1845-1929) who also worked for the oil company was a well known socialite of the time.

Other miniatures by Poultney are held by the Maryland Historical Society, one of which seems to be of a close relation, see Maryland ArtSource - Collections - Nancy Poultney Falconer (Mrs ...

Unfortunately, the sitter in this portrait is unknown. 1245

Carlson, Edward W - portrait of a boy in uniform

This miniature portrait of a young boy is signed at the lower right; "E W Carlson 1925" and under that signed again "Edward W Carlson".

This appears to be for the artist Edward W Carlson (1883-?) who is recorded as a Chicago painter active in the 1920's and 1930's. However, his other work seems to have been landscapes, as an oil on board titled "The Siding" was offered for auction in 1998 with an estimate of $500-$700.

He has not previously been recorded as a painter of miniatures, although judging by this item, he was quite competent at painting portraits. In the 1910 census he was living with a Holmquist family in Chicago as a lodger and gave his occupation as artist. He was born in Illinois, although his parents were Swedish.

Carlson appears to have separated from his wife, as in the 1930 census when he was aged 47, he stated he was married and had first married at age 20. He was lodging in Chicago with a Marjorie Carlson aged 17, who was probably his daughter. He described himself as a commercial artist, but disclosed no assets, whereas other lodgers were disclosing assets as low as $40, and thus he was presumably badly affected by the Great Depression.

The sitter is unknown, but is wearing a uniform, perhaps from the Sea Cadets version of the Boy Scouts. 1235

Hartman, M - portrait of a man

This miniature is signed "M Hartman" in red at the lower right.

There is already one miniature portrait by this artist in the collection, of a man with a bow tie. For comparative purposes it is also shown here.

However, little has been found out about the artist, although there is an example by him/her in the Metropolitan Museum collection, titled "portrait of a boy with doll".

There is believed to have been an artist, Marcia Hartman who signed "M Hartman", but it is not clear whether she painted miniatures. Thus, she may possibly be the artist.

The sitter is unknown. However, the adjacent portrait of an older lady by Marian Harper was acquired from the same vendor at the same time. Given the apparent facial likeness, it seems they may well be mother and son. 1226

Harper, Marian Dunlap - portrait of a lady

This miniature is signed Marian D Harper for
Marian Dunlap Harper (1885-?) who was born in Iowa, Feb 1885, as Marian L Dunlap, the younger daughter of Charles Carroll Dunlap (2 Feb 1855-?) and Nettie Howell. Charles was a broker, presumably on the Chicago Exchange, and was successful, as in 1910 both daughters, Elizabeth 30 and Marian 25 lived at home and had no paid occupations.

In turn, Charles Dunlap was the son of William H Dunlap and Maryann Elliott Fish. William, born in Ohio, was a wealthy merchant, disclosing assets of $30,000 in 1860 at age 25 and living in Eddyville, Iowa. It seems possible that William was related to the noted American miniaturist William Dunlap (1766-1839), but so far, no relationship has been found.

Marian Dunlap married Fay R Harper (1876-?) and they had a daughter Jeane Harper born in 1915. Fay was an artist and illustrator with his own practice. He must have been quite successful, as in 1920 they lived in New Trier, Il and had a maid. They appear to have survived the Great Depression, as in 1930 they still had a maid and disclosed assets of $24,000. However, Fay now described himself as a portrait painter and Marian described herself as a miniature artist.

Unfortunately, this sitter is unknown. 1225

De Haas, Alice Preble Tucker - portrait of a young lady

This miniature portrait is signed on the front "A de Haas" and on the reverse "Alice Preble Tucker de Haas, Dec 1896".

Alice Preble Tucker (1859-1920) was born 12 April 1859 in the 6th Ward of Boston, Massachusetts, where her father Edgar Tucker was a successful merchant who disclosed assets of $10,000 in the 1860 census, even though he was only 29 years old.

Alice's mother's maiden name was Mary A Preble and Mary was the granddaughter of Commodore Edward Preble, the naval hero, see Edward Preble - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia There is now also a miniature portrait of him in this collection, see Colby, Clara - portrait of Commodore Edward Preble... In 1860 Mary was aged 24 and at that time Alice was the only child, aged 1, but even so they had three servants.

Alice studied at the Cooper-Union and with Mauritz Frederik Hendrik De Haas (1832-1895) a Dutch-American marine painter who was born in Rotterdam, Netherlands, see Mauritz de Haas - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Alice married him on 22 May 1895 in Manhattan, but he died later the same year on 23 November. She also studied with Swain Gifford, William Chase, and Rhoda Holmes Nicholls.

Thus by the 1910 census Alice was widowed, but living in Ward 15, Manhattan, New York where she had an artist's studio and supplemented her income by taking in a lodger. On 13 Jul 1917 she married William Carpender (30 Jan 1844- 25 Nov 1927) a widower and wealthy retired stock broker. For the 1920 census they lived in Manhattan with two servants, but Alice herself died on 11 Jun 1920.

Her exhibition record is lengthy and includes the St. Louis Exposition of 1904, the Art Institute of Chicago, NY Water Color Society and the NY Society of Miniature Painters. Her works were also shown at the National Academy of Design, American Water Color Society, the Boston Art Club and the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Art. Many museums incorporated her work in their shows including the Corcoran Gallery of Art in Washington, DC and the Portland Art Museum, Maine. In 1917 she exhibited two works "Drying the Sails" and "Just Dishes" with the Society of Independent Artists. 1228

Pearce, Leonard - Revolutionary Heroes

Although these four wax miniatures are by a British artist Leonard Pearce and of 18C sitters, they have been included in the American 20C gallery, as they are of 20C creation.

Little has so far been found out about Leonard Pearce, but his full name may be Leonard John Pearce and his work seem to have been also used on items issued by Franklin Mint.

The sitters are Benjamin Franklin, John Paul Jones, Lafayette, and George Washington.

The miniatures can be classified as modern decorative items, but they were acquired for the collection because of their high quality production and as good examples of the skill of wax modellers, who did tend to make multiple copies of their original wax sculptures. As these have been scanned through glass the quality of detail is not as clear as one would like.

Each miniature has a printed and hand numbered citation on the reverse. In abbreviated form this states, "one of a series of four miniatures...commissioned to celebrate the bi-centenary...modelled by Leonard Pearce". This set is number 60. 1165a, 1165b, 1165c, 1165d

Hayward, Isabelle Victoria - portrait of Margaret Campbell

This is a very large for a miniature portrait, being 150 mm x 110 mm. However, it still classifies as a miniature portrait and in fact the head of the sitter is depicted as of similar size as a sitter's head in a more normal sized miniature.

The miniature is signed "I Victoria Hayward" for Isabelle Victoria Hayward (7 Oct 1868-Jun 1967) who was born in New York. In the 1900 census, she was living with her widowed mother, Mary Law Hayward and her mother's brother George Law, at Manchester, Passiac NJ and gave her occupation as miniature painter. Victoria seems to have never married and died in 1967.

Interestingly, in the 1860 New York census, Mary Law as she was then and aged 17, gave her occupation as photographist. This must have been a most unusual occupation for a female at that time, although in the same household Jane Downs aged 18, also described herself as a photographist.

The reverse of the case is stamped "Tiffany & Co" and engraved "Margaret Ann Prall Campbell - Age 45 1894". Margaret Ann Prall (15 Dec 1848-<1930) was born in Passiac, NJ where her father, Edwin Theodore Prall was a locomotive engine builder, disclosing assets of $5000 in the 1860 census. This was quite wealthy for the time and the family had two live-in servants and a live-in nurse. By 1870 her father appears to have died, but her mother Rachel disclosed assets of $40,000

Margaret married Henry Goodwin Campbell, a stockbroker, 21 Oct 1874 and they lived in Passiac NJ. It seems they must have been related in some way, as in the 1860 census Henry was living as part of a large household headed by Abraham H Godwin, a wealthy cotton spinner who seems to have traded under the name A Prall & Co. The household contained members of the Godwin, Campbell, and Prall families. In 1900 Henry and Margaret had two sons, Henry G Campbell aged 24 and Edwin Prall Campbell aged 22, who were both also stockbrokers. Margaret died between the 1920 and the 1930 census, but Henry was still alive and disclosed assets of $200,000. His career had been as a stockbroker, but to still be worth $200,000 in 1930 suggests that he had managed to financially survive the Wall Street Crash of 1929. 1203

Kelly, Margaret Burnham - portrait of herself

Inside this miniature portrait on ivory there is the following inscription; "Painted by Margaret Burnham Kelly for her husband's 37th birthday June 3rd 1910 M.B.K."

Margaret Burnham Kelly (Jul 1884-Feb 1971), born Margaret Burnham, and later after her second marriage, recorded as Margaret Burnham Kelly Stower, is not recorded in Blattel. However, the following research has been carried out on her life.

Initially, the only obvious Internet reference is a 1999 obituary which appears to refer to her daughter. It is as follows; "Kelly, Ellen B., 89, of Berlin, died June 27. Born in 1910 in Evanston, Il, she was the daughter of George Thomas Kelly and Margaret (Burnham) Kelly Stower. She graduated from Sarah Lawrence College and worked toward a master's degree in economics at Columbia University. She was a founding member of the Madison (Conn.) Homemakers and was also a member of the Bennington Friends Meeting of Vermont (Quakers). Survivors include a son, George Thomas."

From genealogy sites it has been possible to document some of the life of Margaret Burnham.

She was born 17 Jul 1884 in Chicago, the daughter of Daniel Hudson Burnham (1846-1912) the pre-eminent architect of America at the turn of the 20C, and his wife Margaret Graham Sherman (9 Nov 1850-23 Dec 1945) who were married on 20 Jan 1876 in Chicago.

Daniel Hudson Burnham has been described as one of the foremost city planners of his day and an important influence on the development of Chicago.

He pioneered the development of steel framed buildings and his designs included the Flatiron Building in New York, Union Station in Washington DC, as well as important overseas buildings such as the Finance Building, the Agriculture Building, and the Legislative Building all latter three being in Manila, in the Philippines.

See also Daniel Burnham - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia and Daniel Hudson Burnham - Historic Architect There is a list of all his buildings at D.H. Burnham & Company

With his partner John Root he first formed Burnham & Root, but after Root died he formed D H Burnham & Company.

There is a biography of Daniel Burnham by Thomas D Hines at Burnham of Chicago: Architect and Planner - Google Books Result

Burnham is the author of the quote "Make no little plans. They have no magic to stir men's blood and probably themselves will not be realized. Make big plans. Aim high in hope and work. Remembering that a noble, logical diagram once recorded will not die."

Margaret was obviously proud of her father, shown here, as she gave several of her children the name Burnham, either as their first or second name.

Genealogy sites also show that Margaret's husband, George Thomas Kelly, born 3 Jun 1873 arrived in New York on the "Moltke" on 21 Feb 1913. He gave his place of birth as Enelaine, Wisconsin. He was accompanied by his wife, Margaret B Kelly who was born 17 Jul 1884 in Chicago Illinois. They gave their residential address as 1028 Judson Av, Evanston, Il. In his WWI draft card, George Thomas Kelly disclosed that he was a lawyer and senior member of a Chicago law firm, Kelly, Hale, Brownson, and Holly (sp?). He was tall, of medium build, had blue eyes and grey hair.

In the 1880 census he had lived in Wisconsin with his parents, John and Margaret Kelly, where his father who was born in Ireland, was a retail grocer. By the 1900 census, John was a lawyer living in Chicago where he was sharing an apartment with a chemistry professor and a publisher.

George I Kelly and Margaret Burnham were married in Evanston, IL on 1 Dec 1906. In the 1910 census George was a lawyer in general practice, married to Margaret and living with two daughters Margaret B Kelly aged 2 and Barbara Kelly aged 1, together with two live-in servants.

Their home at 1028 Judson Avenue, Evanston, Il was large at some 3,800 square feet on two levels and on an 18,800 square foot lot. It is still there, shown in this recent photo as Ely House, and is one of the oldest buildings in Evanston. It was originally built in the 1850’s as a tannery and converted into a residential home in the 1870’s. It was Margaret Burnham Kelly who had the house remodelled before selling it to Ely in 1925, see http://www.lai.org/newsletter/mar2005.htm.

Unfortunately, George Kelly died in 1918 in the Influenza Epidemic and so in the 1920 census Margaret Burnham Kelly recorded herself as head of the household, but now as a widow with five children aged 12 or below. Although left a widow, she was obviously well off, as she had two nurses and a cook living in. By the 1930 census, Margaret was remarried to Benjamin F Stower a bank cashier and living in Providence, RI with her children. However, this marriage ended in divorce in the early 1930's.

Update - A kind visitor being a granddaughter of Margaret Burnham Kelly has also provided the following information. "Uncle John and grandmother were very fond of artists. Uncle John had even planned to buy land in Guatemala where artists could live and paint. Grandmother was an avid pilot. She flew a Standard Waco Biplane and was one of the first women her age to obtain a license. She had a problem with depth perception so she hired Lane Smith who later became chief regional pilot for Western Airlines. I have the original letter from the Department of Commerce issuing her a student license that is dated April 29, 1936, one of her log books, membership card to the National Aeronautic Association of U.S.A. dated January 1939, a photograph of her plane with mother grandmother and Lane standing nest to it, a news clipping with a photograph of her pilot Lane Smith from the Sportsman Pilot dated January 15, 1938, and a telegram asking my mother if she wanted to fly to Guatemala with her dated 1937."

At Margaret Geddes there is a reference that suggests a Margaret Burnham Kelly was active as an architect in RI and DC between 1930 and 1960 under the name Margaret Geddes. It seems this was Margaret's daughter, also named Margaret Burnham Kelly (1908-?), with Margaret Geddes her married name. Quite likely she was the Margaret Geddes born 26 Sep 1907 who died 18 Feb 1995.

It appears that a son Burnham Kelly (1912-1999) was also a well known architect and Dean of the College of Architecture, Art and Planning at Cornell University, 1960-1971.

Margaret Burnham the Author

A kind visitor has raised the possibility that Margaret Burnham, either the mother (1850-?) or the daughter (1884-1971), was the author of several books written in 1911 and 1912 about girl aviators. This visitor has been researching children's books, but has been unable to find out any personal details about Margaret Burnham the author.

This was an interesting thought, especially as the artist for another miniature self portrait in this collection, Anna Coleman Watts Ladd also wrote two books around the same date, see View.

I need to stress that Margaret Burnham Kelly's granddaughter has no recollection of her grandmother ever mention