Susannah Carson holds multiple graduate degrees in French literature, including an M.Phil. from the Sorbonne and a Ph.D. from Yale. As an editor, she has published two anthologies of literary essays with Penguin-Random House, one on Jane Austen and the other on Shakespeare. Her paintings have been acquired by private collectors and featured in various publications, including the canonical Lover's Eyes: Eye Miniatures from the Skier Collection; select pieces are represented by the Christopher Hill Gallery.

On vintage serving ware and ornately decorated plates, artist Susannah Carson renders fragmented portraits of women who peer out from the center of the vessels. The oil paintings evoke the Georgian tradition of the “lover’s eye,” sentimental miniatures depicting the facial features of a spouse, child, or family member often found on jewelry of the time. These tiny works would also allow the wearer to obscure the exact identity of the subject, making them ambiguous keepsakes for affairs and other clandestine activities. Whether it is a miniature portrait or an oil-painted ceramic plate, Carson’s images capture a moment full of life, connection, and possibility, evoking a tradition that was popular back in the 18th century.