The Georgians were into some pretty weird trends – especially when it came to love. In a time when showing emotion (or having a secret fling) was seriously frowned upon, people found a sneaky way to say “I’m yours” – they gave each other tiny, exquisitely detailed paintings of just their eye.
It sounds bizarre, but these so-called lover’s eyes – also known as eye miniatures, became one of the most oddly romantic, exceedingly intimate, and slightly creepy art trends in history.
A Little Bit Romantic, A Little Bit Unnerving
These tiny portraits first became popular in Georgian England around the 1780s. The idea was simple: commission a miniature painting of your eye, usually set in a brooch, ring, locket, toothpick case – or even a snuff box – and gift it to your lover.
It was a deeply personal keepsake – something only someone very familiar with you would recognise. After all, most people wouldn’t be able to identify someone by their eye alone. But to the recipient? They’d know that gaze anywhere.
Some were exchanged during secret affairs. Others were tokens between spouses. And a few were created in mourning – the eye painted with a single tear, surrounded by pearls – a subtle nod to grief, and all the things left unsaid.
But Why Just the Eye?
There are a few theories:
- Discretion: If you were having a scandalous fling (very on-brand for the 18th century), a full portrait might be a bit… obvious.
- Symbolism: Eyes were seen as the “windows to the soul,” making them the perfect subject for something deeply emotional. One 19th-century poet wrote: “The eye is the jewel of the body." Georgians took that very literally.
- Fashion meets obsession: The trend supposedly began when the future King George IV (then just a prince) sent a secret eye portrait to his lover, Maria Fitzherbert, whom he wasn’t allowed to marry. Naturally, the aristocracy lost their minds and started copying it immediately.
Artistry in the Blink of an Eye
Creating an eye miniature required serious skill. These tiny portraits – sometimes no bigger than a fingernail – were painted in watercolour on ivory. Artists had to capture not only the subject’s iris colour, lashes, and emotion, but also just enough of the surrounding brow or cheek to hint at a real human… without giving away the whole face. These fragile paintings were extremely delicate, just one drop of water could damage the watercolour paint and erase the image forever.
The Trend That Faded from View
Lover’s eyes were all the rage for a few decades, but like powdered wigs and duelling for honour, they eventually fell out of fashion. By the mid-1800s, full portrait miniatures and photographs took over. Today, surviving eye miniatures are rare, often unsigned, and still incredibly mysterious – since we often have no idea whose eye is staring back at us.
Which somehow makes them even more fascinating.
Image Credit: Charlotte Jones, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
