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Miss Harriet and Miss Elizabeth Binney

Portrait Miniature
1806 (painted)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

This large portrait miniature on card by John Smart depicts Harriet and Elizabeth Binney seated at a harpsichord. The music sheet in front of the sisters has recently been identified as Henry Mathias' Rondo alla Tedesca, while Elizabeth Binney holds a copy of Woelfl's Grand Sonata for the Piano Forte op. 36 in her hand. Elizabeth was one of Woelfl's students in London, and the composer dedicated one of his sonatas (Non plus ultra, op. 41) to 'Miss E. Binny.' Such details are emblematic of Smart's remarkable attention to detail and his deft brushwork on a minute scale. John Smart was based in Madras for the decade he was working in India, and although he left India in 1795, his connection with the Binney family was clearly resumed in London, where this double portrait was painted. Charles Binney had been Secretary to an Indian ruler who lived near Madras. Harriet and Elizabeth were Binney’s daughters. Harriet (on the left) married Andrew Trevor in 1797, surgeon to the 33rd Regiment of Foot, the Duke of Wellington's Regiment. (Andrew Trevor was an ancestor of Miss Joan Gwladis Trevor, who gave this watercolour to the V&A.) In the 1780s Smart began to paint small oval watercolour portraits on paper, offering clients a quicker and cheaper alternative to his miniatures on ivory. This double portrait is a superb elaboration of this style of work, which would have been very laborious for Smart to have painted on ivory. However, the disadvantage of paper is its tendency to discolour with age, which is what gives this picture its slight brown tinge.

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read Portrait miniatures: other types of small portraiture Portrait miniatures first appeared in the 1520s at the courts of Henry VIII in England, and Francis I in France. These small portraits were painted in watercolour on vellum, and protected in lockets or small boxes, making it easy for them to be carried or even worn. The success of the port...

Object details

Categories
Object type
TitleMiss Harriet and Miss Elizabeth Binney (popular title)
Materials and techniques
Watercolour on card
Brief description
Portrait miniature of two sisters seated at a harpsichord by John Smart. Great Britain, 1806.
Physical description
Portrait miniature of two sisters seated at a harpsichord and facing the viewer.
Dimensions
  • Height: 225mm
  • Width: 24.2cm
  • Width: 245mm
Style
Credit line
Given by Miss Joan Gwladis Trevor, a descendant of Harriet Binney
Subjects depicted
Summary
This large portrait miniature on card by John Smart depicts Harriet and Elizabeth Binney seated at a harpsichord. The music sheet in front of the sisters has recently been identified as Henry Mathias' Rondo alla Tedesca, while Elizabeth Binney holds a copy of Woelfl's Grand Sonata for the Piano Forte op. 36 in her hand. Elizabeth was one of Woelfl's students in London, and the composer dedicated one of his sonatas (Non plus ultra, op. 41) to 'Miss E. Binny.' Such details are emblematic of Smart's remarkable attention to detail and his deft brushwork on a minute scale. John Smart was based in Madras for the decade he was working in India, and although he left India in 1795, his connection with the Binney family was clearly resumed in London, where this double portrait was painted. Charles Binney had been Secretary to an Indian ruler who lived near Madras. Harriet and Elizabeth were Binney’s daughters. Harriet (on the left) married Andrew Trevor in 1797, surgeon to the 33rd Regiment of Foot, the Duke of Wellington's Regiment. (Andrew Trevor was an ancestor of Miss Joan Gwladis Trevor, who gave this watercolour to the V&A.) In the 1780s Smart began to paint small oval watercolour portraits on paper, offering clients a quicker and cheaper alternative to his miniatures on ivory. This double portrait is a superb elaboration of this style of work, which would have been very laborious for Smart to have painted on ivory. However, the disadvantage of paper is its tendency to discolour with age, which is what gives this picture its slight brown tinge.
Bibliographic references
  • 100 Great Paintings in The Victoria & Albert Museum.London: V&A, 1985, p.96
  • Sebastian Biesold, Répertoire International d’Iconographie Musicale (RIdIM record id 9852), https://db.ridim.org/display.php?ridim_id=9852.
Collection
Accession number
P.20-1978

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Record createdDecember 15, 1999
Record URL
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