The introduction of the daguerreotype to the United States in 1839 brought a new and exciting type of portrait that prompted dramatic changes to miniature painting. Miniaturists adapted to their clients’ altered expectations for capturing a likeness. This woman’s sharply defined image looks as though it could have been painted over a photograph, but technical examination of this object revealed only watercolor on ivory, with no traces of a photographic image beneath. The miniaturist’s process did not change, but rather his or her way of seeing was transformed. Perhaps the artist painted this portrait from a photograph rather than from life—or maybe photography had altered the way the artist interpreted life. The lid of this gold locket features the initials of the sitter or owner of the miniature, “MAS,” and a decorative arabesque design engraved into the surface. On the inside of the locket, behind the watercolor miniature on ivory, an inscription indicates that this case was made by George W. Webb of Baltimore in 1844, for a price of 25 dollars.