Dividing his time between New York, Boston, and Hartford, Connecticut, miniaturist Elkanah Tisdale probably trained as a carriage painter, as it is believed his father operated a wagon shop. He listed himself as an engraver in New York City directories from 1794 until 1798, when he changed his occupation to that of a miniature painter. He returned to his hometown of Lebanon, Connecticut, in 1823. Among Tisdale’s most sensitive miniatures are the sibling portraits of William and Ann Brown. During this era of high mortality rates for children, families frequently commissioned miniatures to celebrate the emergence of sons and daughters into adulthood. Ann Brown, the daughter of the proprietor of a famous inn located in Norwich, Connecticut, posed for this portrait while strumming a lute. Affluent parents often displayed their daughters’ qualifications for marriage in easel portraits, depicting the eligible young ladies playing an instrument. Perhaps meant for the eyes of a courting gentleman, this miniature offers the same conceit in an intimate form. Ann eventually married John Vernet, a successful trader who came to Norwich from Martinique. On the reverse of the locket, an elegant hair ornament emphasizes the sitter’s beauty and refinement. Two locks of the sitter’s hair were crafted into feather-like plumes, embellished with gold wire decoration, and held in place with a band of gold and small seed pearls.