From the Archives: Freedom in miniature: Mary Way’s Coded Portrait of Charles Holt Brian Ehrlich
Figs. 1, 1a.
Charles Holt (1774-1852) by Mary Way (1769 1823). Inscribed “Mary Way,/fecit/New London,/ Feb. 18th,/1800” on the back. Watercolor and fabric on paper applied to brown fabric, 2 ½ by 2 inches.
Private collection.
The image of New London, Connecticut, Native Charles Holt in Figure 1 was “taken” by his cousin, the talented miniaturist Mary Way in the form of a miniature-in-locket, a standard memento of the time meant to be worn close to the heart
1. It is not known whether he commissioned the portrait as a gift for his soon-to-be wife Marry Dobbs, or whether Way presented the portrait to Holt as a personal token. In the image the artist has portrayed Holt wearing what appears to be an American militia uniform; inscribed “Mary Way,/fecit/New London,/Feb. 18