Anne c. 1916

Maria Judson Strean painted this miniature portrait of "Anne" with watercolor on ivory. Small portraits like this were a popular form of art in the late 19th century, a time when photography was becoming more common but was not yet seen as a replacement for painting. We might ask ourselves why, at this moment of technological change, people still valued the handmade image. One reason is that portrait miniatures, with their precious materials and careful brushwork, carried a sense of intimacy and personal connection that a photograph could not match. Strean was a well-known artist who exhibited widely, and her choice to work in this traditional form reflects the enduring appeal of portraiture within the art world. To understand this work better, we could research the rise of photography in the late 1800s, the changing role of women artists, and the social meanings of portraiture. By doing so, we can better understand the social and institutional forces that shaped artistic production during this time.