American Miniature Portrait Watercolor Painting Signed Archambault Philadelphia 1923 Woman Artist

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An exceptionally interesting American miniature watercolor portrait, signed ARCHAMBAULT and dated 1923, depicting Josephine Archambault Conkling (1869–1945), cousin of the … Read more An exceptionally interesting American miniature watercolor portrait, signed ARCHAMBAULT and dated 1923, depicting Josephine Archambault Conkling (1869–1945), cousin of the artist.

The reverse inscription identifies the sitter and provides an unusually informative personal history:

"Miniature of
Josephine Archambault Conkling
wife of Edward N. Conkling Esq.
painted by
A. Margaretta Archambault
Philadelphia 1923"

Anna Margaretta Archambault (1856–1956) was a distinguished American portrait painter and miniaturist who served as director of the Philadelphia School of Miniature Painting. She studied at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts in Philadelphia and the Académie Julian in Paris. Her miniature portraits are represented in the collections of the Smithsonian American Art Museum, the Philadelphia Museum of Art, and the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts.

The artist and sitter shared a particularly fascinating family history through their descent from Joseph Archambault, a Frenchman who settled in Pennsylvania in 1821 after serving in Napoleon Bonaparte's imperial household. Joseph was among the Emperor's personal attendants and accompanied him through some of the most consequential episodes of his later life, including his exile on Elba, the Hundred Days campaign, and ultimately his final exile on St. Helena. He was among the small group of attendants selected to accompany Napoleon to the remote island following Waterloo. Joseph subsequently left imperial service and established a new life in Pennsylvania, where he reportedly operated a hotel and later served as a cavalry major during the American Civil War. This remarkable connection to Napoleon adds an extraordinary historical dimension to the family represented in this portrait.

The finely executed watercolor is housed in an elegant gilt copper/brass frame, set into a rectangular panel upholstered in rich, deep reddish-brown velvet. The velvet-covered presentation has an easel back as well as a hanging ring, allowing the miniature to be displayed on a tabletop or in a cabinet, or hung on a wall. It would make an attractive addition to a collection of antique miniature portraits.

An especially interesting example of American miniature portraiture with documented artist and sitter identification and a remarkable family connection to Napoleonic history. Particularly suited to traditional, Art Deco, and collected interiors, and equally at home in a library, study, dressing room, or display cabinet. An intriguing potential acquisition for a museum, curator, historical society, or institutional collection, as well as a thoughtful gift for miniature portrait enthusiasts, descendants of the Archambault and Conkling families, and those interested in Philadelphia history, Napoleon, and the history of the French Imperial household.

Signed and dated 1923. Carefully packed and shipped fully insured with tracking.

Measurements: velvet stand: 6" tall by 4 3/4" wide; frame oval: 3" high by 2 1/2" wide approximately. See less