Edward Greene Malbone was one of the leading miniaturist painters in early American art. Malbone was born illegitimate and went by the name “Greene,” his mothers name for most of his life until the court mandated that he could use his fathers’ name, “Malbone.” Born in Newport, Rhode Island, Malbone cultivated a love for the arts as a young boy. He would watch the scenery painters at the local theater in Newport and taught himself to paint. After he painted a landscape for that same theater, Malbone was able to financially support himself as an artist.
In 1794, Malbone moved to Providence, Rhode Island where he stayed for two years and enjoyed a relatively successful career painting portraits. From 1796 until 1800, Malbone became an itinerant painter, traveling between New York, Boston and Philadelphia. In 1801, Malbone traveled with his friend and fellow painter Washington Allston south the Charleston, South Carolina. From there, the two traveled to Europe and studied under Benjamin West. Despite the fact that West encouraged Malbone to remain in London, he returned to Charleston with Allston that following December.
Malbone created a reputation for himself of being a very precise and forgiving portrait painter. Malbone was said to have brought out the best in his sitters, while still staying true to their likeness and never taking away beauty from his sitters. Perhaps this way of accentuating the best in his patrons was his recipe for success. As with most miniaturist painters, Malbone mainly painted small circular cameo paintings with watercolor on ivory. There are more than 150 of his miniatures catalogued, with the possibility of many others existing unknown. His paintings have been described as being graceful and delicate, and were like no others painted during their time. It is said that toward the end of his career Malbone began to paint in oil, including a self-portrait. Throughout his career he also occasionally painted oil landscapes and figure pieces on ivory.
Today, Malbone’s work is housed in public and private collections all over New England including at the Boston Museum of Fine Arts and the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts. Malbone died in Savannah, Georgia, and because he so extensively traveled the eastern United States and Europe, it is likely that one of his unknown miniature portraits could turn up virtually anywhere.
