Jane Watton

This engaging portrait was painted in October 1823 just six months before Jane’s untimely death. Even though she is only ten years old, she looks very sophisticated and mature with her hair up and her pearl necklace. Her lovely red empire-line dress is the very height of Regency fashion too.

Jane was born in February 1813 to Samuel Watton and his wife Jane (née Britain). Samuel and Jane were married in 1811, their son Isaac Britain having already been born. They went on to have two girls – Jane and then Catherine born in 1814. The family lived in the Jewellery Quarter of Birmingham where Samuel would have been well-placed for his profession as a button-maker. It was all to be short-lived, however, as Jane’s father died in 1817 when she was just four years old. Jane herself sadly died in April 1824 when she was just 11 years old.

The miniature is set in the original decoratively chased gold-plated frame with the sitter’s details, as illustrated, recorded inside. There is a small underchip to the convex glass but otherwise both the miniature and the frame are in excellent condition.