Curator Conversations: Who's In Your Locket?

Time Period
1622 to 1763
1763 to 1825
1825 to 1861
Media Type
Video
Topics
Art & Architecture
Curiosities
Domestic Life
Presenter
Dr. Karen Sherry

In this series, VMHC curatorial staff bring exclusive member-only programs to you on a variety of interesting topics. To see upcoming events in this series, please visit VirginiaHistory.org/Events.

Who’s In Your Locket?: The Social Symbolism of Miniature Portraits (August 9, 2021): Before the invention of the photograph in the late 1830s, the only way to capture a person’s image was through a painting, drawing, or other work of art. Miniature painting developed as a special branch of art and miniature portraits took on special significance because they were exchanged as gifts, worn or carried on your person, and often embellished with locks of hair and other personal touches. Join VMHC curator Dr. Karen Sherry to learn about the miniature tradition and to view examples of these historical love tokens from the museum’s collection.