"Lover's Eye" refers to a style of miniature portraits that become popular in the late 18th to early 19th century.
The origins of Lover's Eye can be traced back to the Georgian era in England, and it is said that the trend began with a clandestine love affair between Prince of Wales (who later became the king George IV) and Maria.
Due to socially unacceptable nature of their relationships, George had a miniature portrait of just his eye painted, which he gave to Maria.
The trend caught on and became fashionable in both England and America. These intimate portraits were exchanged between lovers, spouses, or family members as tokens of affections.
The discreet nature of these paintings allowed people to carry a memento of their loved ones without revealing their identity of the person in the portrait.
