unidentified
Description
This miniature shows an African American woman posing with her employer’s child. The title of the portrait evokes a time when black domestic workers were expected to be devoted to the care of white children. The woman’s direct gaze, however, suggests the strength and dignity of an individual who did not define herself through her employer.
Watercolor On Ivory
Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of the American Society of Miniature Painters
