Unknown, Portrait of a Man, late 19th/early 20th century

Bernd Pappe and Stephen Lloyd have suggested that this miniature was likely created in the late nineteenth century, perhaps after an earlier portrait. The painting of the lace is particularly unconvincing. The Spanish style of frame was commonly used for decorative miniatures in the late nineteenth or early twentieth century. We are grateful to Bernd Pappe and Stephen Lloyd for their insight on the attribution of this miniature during visits to the Nelson-Atkins from July 24–26, 2023, and October 2–4, 2023 (see Bernd Pappe, “Attribution Report,” August 6, 2023, Nelson-Atkins curatorial files).

Mr. John W. (1905–2000) and Mrs. Martha Jane (1906–2011) Starr, Kansas City, MO, by 1958;

Their gift to The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, Kansas City, MO, 1958.

Ross E. Taggart, The Starr Collection of Miniatures in the William Rockhill Nelson Gallery (Kansas City, MO: Nelson Gallery-Atkins Museum, 1971), no. 2, p. 10, (repro.), as Unknown Man.