This miniature portrait is signed "I Gelee" for Isabelle Gelee (1875-1945). She was born in France and worked in Paris.
She is not known to have visited America, and if she did not visit, it is not known why she would have painted a miniature portrait of Commodore Matthew Calbraith Perry (1794-1858).
However, there is some indistinct writing on the reverse which seems to include the word marriage, so perhaps it was painted as a wedding gift to a family member of his.
Commodore Perry was famous for visiting Japan with a fleet of naval vessels in 1854, which led to the opening up of trade with Japan. For more about him see Commodore Matthew Perry:
There is also a lot more about him, together with a photo of his tomb at Perry, Matthew Calbraith 693
No comments:
Post a Comment