The first of the French emigre artists to arrive in the New Republic, Pierre Henri remained itinerant his entire life. After surviving a shipwreck in the West Indies, in 1788, Henri appeared in New York City. Though his trip to America had taken 12 years, he advertised as “lately arrived from France.” Henri was adroit at sniffing out important clientele, so when, in 1789, the government moved to Philadelphia, Henri followed. There he found a wife then started a family before again hitting the road. Between 1790 and 1820, Henri worked in Alexandria, New York, Baltimore, Richmond, New Orleans and Charleston, advertising that he “takes likenesses in miniature, from the size of a small ring to that of the largest locket.” Unique among miniature painters then working in America, Henri adroitly created groups of sitters. In about 1800, probably to accompany him on his journeys, Henri executed this delightful portrait of his family, with a self-portrait in miniature within the miniature, the whole on 3 3/8 inches (8.6 cm) wide. ******************************** See this enchanting portrait in the magnificent new exhibition “Jewelry for America” - American Wing, Metropolitan Museum of Art. ******************************** @metmuseum @metamericanwing #BethCarverWees #PortraitMiniature #PortraitMiniatures #MiniaturePortrait #MiniaturePortraits #WearableArt #AmericanArt #elleshushan #HistoricArt #AmericanArt #AmericanPortraitMiniature #JewelryWithAFace #MetMuseum #MetropolitanMuseumofArt #AmericanWing #PierreHenri #FrenchEmigreArtist #FamilyPortait #FromtheArchives (at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York) https://www.instagram.com/p/By6Za1pHb5c/?igshid=16ba1qsvnpm91
