Last Thursday, my fellow intern, Ali, and I visited an exhibition of the Starr Miniature Collection called The Fashionable Sitter.
Sitting in front of the glass case, I realize the little treasures before my eyes and all their beauty. Noticing a portrait of a young girl on a ring, I thought to myself about the differences in my world compared to the life of a young girl in the 18th and 19th centuries. She dressed so fancifully and there I was in grey pants and a work top. The girls’ hair was decorated with either gems or headbands and they all had long curly hair. Besides the ring, most of the other miniatures looked like watches or lockets.
Just after I quickly got over the idea of a young girl in the 18th century, I noticed mirrors behind a couple of the miniatures. Why would there be a mirror on only a few? I looked closer and saw a reflection on the back of one with the letter “A.” The letter “A” was surrounded by hair! The description above the miniatures explained that the hair was commonly used to remember a loved one. I was amazed at the idea of hair as ornamentation.
Pearls and faux gems decorated the outer rim of a couple miniatures and each one was beautiful and ornate in their own way. The miniatures exhibition has definitely become one of my favorites.