Lot 194: St. Memin Mezzotint Miniature Portrait of Martha Jefferson Tyler Waggaman

Charles B.J. Fevret de Saint Memin (French, 1770-1852) miniature circular mezzotint and engraved portrait of Martha Jefferson Tyler Waggaman (1782-1855), daughter of Virginia Governor John Tyler Sr. and sister of U.S. President John Tyler. Unsigned. Ref. Ellen Miles, “Saint Memin and the Neoclassical Profile Portrait in America,” The National Portrait Gallery, 1994 (p. 421, no. 912). Housed under glass in a painted black wood frame. Sight: 2 1/2 in. diameter; Frame 4 1/4 in. square. Circa 1808. Note: This lot is accompanied by a copy of a 1995 letter from then-Curator of the National Portrait Gallery, Ellen Miles, to the portrait’s late owner, Brenda Godsey, confirming that the engraving is the work of C.B.J. Fevret de Saint-Memin and the subject is Martha Jefferson Tyler Waggaman. (Another version of this miniature printed portrait is in the collection of the National Portrait Gallery, accession no. 2015.19.1584.44.3). Martha Jefferson Tyler was the third daughter of Virginia Gov. John Tyler Sr., a close friend of Thomas and Martha Jefferson. She married Thomas Ennalls Waggaman in 1805 and gave birth to three children and is buried in the Tyler Family Cemetery in Charles City, Virginia. 

PROVENANCE: The collection of Brenda Godsey, Florence, Alabama. 

CONDITION: Print with light toning and fading, overall very good condition. A fine vertical scratch extends from cheek to collar. Frame: significant losses to paint.