Margaret Maclay Bogardus: A Pioneer of American Miniature Portraiture Margaret Maclay Bogardus (1804 – 1878) stands as a remarkable figure in the annals of nineteenth-century American art, particularly recognized for her exquisite miniature portraits—a genre that captured the intimacy and elegance of Victorian society. Born in Glasgow, Scotland, she possessed an uncommon spirit for her time, embarking on a transatlantic journey to America in 1805 where she established herself as a devoted wife to James Bogardus, an inventive mind who would reshape architectural design with his pioneering cas…