Unknown - c.1820 portrait of young man in small case

This is an American miniature portrait from c.1820, but much smaller than usual for the time, the sight size being 43mm by 35mm.

It is a good example of an early American designed case, as a result of the Embargo Act, but with proper materials still in short supply. Thus apart from the portrait itself, this is a case size which is unusual. There only a couple of other 19C American cases of this size in the collection, and so I estimate that size represents less than one percent of miniature cases from 1800-50.

When advertised it was described as "English oval framed 1770-1790, young man", but is definitely later and American, so an indication sellers often have inaccurate descriptions. Although the image is out of focus, the artist is perhaps Daniel Dickinson or Thomas Edwards. ds 1499