Miniature Painting
the painting of portraits on a small scale. It originated in the practice of embellishing manuscript books. As the initial letters were written with red lead (Latin minium), the art of illumination was expressed by the Low Latin verb miniare, 1 MINIMUM WAGE and the term miniatura was applied to the small pictures introduced. After the invention of printing and engraving this delicate art entered on a new phase; copies in small dimensions of celebrated pictures came to be in considerable request, and, in particular, there arose a demand for miniature portraits. Holbein (1495-1543) painted exquisite miniatures, and having settled in London, his works had great influence in calling forth native talent. Isaac Oliver (1556-1617) was employed by Queen Elizabeth and most of the distinguished characters of the time; his works are remarkable for careful and elaborate execution. Richard Cosway (1740-1821) was one of the most famous miniaturists of the 18th century.
The last famous miniature painter was Sir William Ross (1794-1860), who lived to see his art superseded by photography. Among early American miniature painters were Stuart, Copley, Peale, and Trumbull. As to technical details, the early artists painted on vellum and used body colors-i. e., colors mixed with white or other opaque pigments; and this practice was continued till a comparatively late period, when thin leaves of ivory fixed on cardboard with gum were substituted. Many of the old miniature painters worked with oil colors on small plates of copper or silver. Miniature painting in the last decades of the 19th century and the first decade of the 20th gained favor, but it has made little progress in popularity. The American Society of Miniature Painters, founded in 1899, hold exhibitions annually in New York.