Sarah Ann Beck 1818

Anna Claypoole Peale's 1818 miniature portrait of Sarah Ann Beck, a young woman with dark hair and a blue dress, exemplifies the artist's talent for capturing subtle details and conveying a sense of personality. The delicate brushstrokes and muted palette of the watercolor on ivory create a refined aesthetic characteristic of the Federal period. This intimate portrait, housed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, embodies the beauty and grace of 19th-century American miniature painting.