Victorian Miniatures

The reign of Queen Victoria spanned a period of dramatic technical advance in the art of portrait painting, and her patronage helped drive the growth of the art form. Yet by the close of the nineteenth century, the photograph had usurped the role of the portrait miniature, and the number of practitioners had dwindled almost to nothing.

The Royal Collection houses one of the largest groups of portrait miniatures in existence. Here, in two large volumes, are the more than one thousand pieces of this collection from leading miniaturists of the time—all newly photographed for this catalog. Descriptions and genealogical tables cast light on the central role miniatures occupied in sustaining Victoria’s contact with her extended family throughout Europe, particularly in the etiquette surrounding bereavement. The first detailed treatment of Victorian-age portrait miniatures, this catalog traces the last great flourish of the art form.