Harriet Miers

Set in a small red leather travelling case, this miniature silhouette shows a young lady with upswept curls wearing a dress with a fichu secured at the back of the neck.

Born in Edinburgh in August 1787, Harriet was the fifth child and fourth daughter of the leading silhouette artist John Miers and his wife Sarah. She was nineteen when her mother died in 1813 and two years later she married William Henley at St Mary le Strand. William was a surgeon and the couple had one son, John Miers Henley, who according to the 1951 Census became a shoemaker.

Although signed Miers under the bust-line, the profile was most likely painted by John Field who worked alongside John Miers in his studio on the Strand. It may have been commissioned as a wedding gift for Harriet’s husband. Painted on ivory, the silhouette is set in the original silk lined case intended to be secreted in a gentleman’s pocket. The case has small wear to the reverse side but is otherwise fine with a working C-clasp.

Ivory Exemption Ref.: 2EL4CLKX