Boy in Pink Coat, by Edward Nash, Circa 1765

A very charming British portrait miniature of a young Indian boy with black hair and black eyes, wearing a pink coat with mother-of-pearl buttons, a pink embroidered vest, and a white frilled shirt, against an olive and blue background. The painting is set in a gold pendant frame with a solid reverse.

Edward G. Nash (1778-1821) was born to Thomas Nash, a wealthy merchant, in Coventry, the sixth of eleven children. According to his relatives he was a hunchback and suffered from illness. Nash studied with Samuel Shelley, and exhibited from London addresses at the Royal Academy from 1800 to 1820. He left for Bombay in January 1801, and prospered at his trade there. He returned to England in February 1810, and died unmarried in London in 1821. Examples of his work, including miniatures he painted in India, may be seen at the Victoria & Albert Museum and the British Museum.

Dimensions: 1 3/8 x 1 1/8 inches.

Boy in Brown Jacket, by William Lewis, Circa 1825

A charming American portrait miniature of a young boy with blond hair and brown eyes, wearing a brown jacket and pants with a cream-colored shirt, against a sky background. The portrait is set in the original gilt pendant frame, the front with a cast foliate rim and the reverse with intricate embossing surrounding a glazed aperture holding braided hair.

William Lewis (1788-after 1838) was born in Salem, Massachusetts, and worked there as a painter of portraits and miniatures until 1821, when he moved to Boston to continue his practice. He married Dorothy Skinner in 1812. During these years he made frequent trips back to Salem, and also painted in Rhode Island in the early 1820s. He exhibited still lifes, portraits, and miniatures at the Boston Athenaeum in 1828 and 1831, and at the Boston Mechanic's Association in 1831. Miniatures by him can be found at the Essex Institute in Salem, and the Rhode Island Historical Society in Providence.

Dimensions: 2 ½ x 2 inches.

Girl in Feathered Hat, Holding A Dog, English School, Circa 1795

A lovely British portrait miniature of a young girl with blonde hair and hazel eyes, wearing a hat with white feathers and a white dress with a blue sash, and holding a small black and white dog with twinkling eyes, against a pale brown background. The painting is set in the original gold locket frame with an inset mat with brightwork, and a solid reverse.

Dimensions: 2 x 1 1/2 inches.

Child of the Hillhouse Family, by John Carlin, Circa 1840

A delightful American miniature of a child of the Hillhouse family, with blue eyes and blond hair, wearing a dress with a black velvet bodice and gray skirt, the collar and sleeves trimmed with white lace. The painting is set behind a gilt mat and glass in a brown leather travel wallet.

The portrait came from a relative of the Hillhouse family of New Haven, Connecticut, a prominent family in the area for several centuries. The family included Senator James Hillhouse, who also served as treasurer of Yale University, and as a real estate developer, was responsible for the design of New Haven. Hillhouse Avenue and James Hillhouse High School were named for James Hillhouse. His son James Abraham Hillhouse, a published poet, created the place and the poem "Sachem's Wood," and was one of the earliest Americans to attempt poetic drama in the manner of Shelley and Byron.

John Carlin (1813-1891), an exceptional miniaturist, as well as a portrait, genre, and landscape painter, was born deaf-mute in Philadelphia. He studied from 1821 to 1825 at the Pennsylvania Institute for the Deaf and Dumb, and then studied drawing with John Rubens Smith, and portrait painting with John Neagle. He exhibited at the Artist's Fund Society from 1835 to 1838. He subsequently spent the next few years studying at the British Museum in London, and with Paul Delaroche in Paris. Upon his return he settled in New York City, with professional forays in the years 1841 to 1856, to Pennsylvania, Connecticut, New York State, Massachusetts, Washington D.C. and Baltimore. He became a well-known society miniaturist, particularly noted for his sensitivity in depicting children.

Carlin exhibited at the National Academy of Design, the American Institute, the American Art-Union, the Maryland Historical Society and the Pennsylvania Academy. The New York Historical Society holds his account book. Carlin was also a published writer, best known for the children's book, The Scratchside Family, (NY 1861), and his poem "The Mute's Lament," which begins, "I move a silent exile on this earth." He was friends with William Cullen Bryant, Hamilton Fish, and William Henry Seward, and was often invited to appear at conferences for deaf people, becoming the first person to receive a honorary degree from Gallaudet University. He married Miss Seward, also deaf, from the family of William Henry Seward, Secretary to Abraham Lincoln, and raised five children. His works may be seen at the Smithsonian American Art Museum and The Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Dimensions: 2 ¼ x 1 ¾ inches; case: 4 x 3 ½ inches