Mrs. Andry by Louis Antoine Collas

Born in Bordeaux, France, Louis Antoine Collas studied art in Paris with François André Vincent. An adept miniature and portrait painter, Collas first exhibited at the Paris Salon of 1898 with a self-portrait. In 1808 he moved to St. Petersburg, Russia, for three years where he painted miniatures and portraits of aristocrats and the czar’s court. Seeking patrons and exhibition opportunities, Collas arrived in New York City in 1816. He traveled up and down the eastern seaboard, receiving commission in Philadelphia and Charleston and exhibiting at the American Academy of Fine Arts in New York City and the American Academy in Philadelphia.

Collas was among the earliest group of the European artists to work in New Orleans, which he reached in 1822. Until 1829 he visited Louisiana regularly, painting miniatures and portraits of the growing middle class of plantation owners and merchants. This miniature of Mrs. Andry is a fine example of a piece. Members of the Andry family were active in both the French and Spanish colonial militia and ran a plantation in St. James Parish.