Symbolism, Imagery, Allegory
The Mysteries of Udolpho features all kinds of pictures, but it's a miniature of a mysterious lady that really sparks Em's interest. Of course, there's also a miniature of Em that goes missing at the beginning and a miniature that Agnes pulls out at the end to show the late Marchioness. So what's the deal with tiny pictures?
The Mysterious Lady
When Em's dad tells her to burn all his papers, she can't help but keep the miniature of a beautiful stranger that she finds in his stash. She immediately recognizes it as "The same my father wept over!" (1.10.5). On one hand, Em's obsessed with the picture because it's something that caused her father to experience an extreme emotion. Remember, she's mourning St. Aubert big-time. Anything—or anyone—that inspired that kind of reaction is worth keeping around.
At the same time, there's some guilt on Em's part associated with keeping the picture. After all, she's kind of disobeying her dad by keeping something he told her to burn. Well, he didn't exactly tell her to burn it, but it was definitely implied. So even while the picture of the lady represents a connection to her dad, it also symbolizes a little rebellion on Em's part. Would it be too much to call it a miniature rebellion? (Hey-o!)
The Stolen Miniature
Em is more than little weirded out when her mom's bracelet is stolen. After all, it has a mini picture of Em in it, and… who would want that? But yeah, she knows the implications: after hearing that the bracelet has been stolen, she "blushed and grew thoughtful" (1.1.27). Hey, this is one of the first things that breaks Emily's little bubble of safety at La Vallée. She may feel safe, but a stranger has taken the tiniest piece of her life. When everything crumbles soon after, she'll remember this moment as the very beginning.
Of course, when Du Pont reveals that he's the perpetrator, Em's a little relieved. The act of stealing the picture was actually committed by someone deeply in love with her but too afraid to reveal himself. But does it even matter that Em won't return his love? When Em tells Du Pont she's engaged, he still requests the picture back. To Du Pont, the miniature represents an ideal he'll never be totally able to grasp.
Laurentini's Miniature
It may not be totally normal to carry around a tiny picture of a murdered woman, but Signora Laurentini has some serious guilt about her crime. Plus, it helps her identify Em as the nearest living relation of the late Marchioness. When Signora Laurentini "returns" the picture of the Marchioness to Em, she's just trying to finally do right by those she's wronged:
"I bequeath it to you, for I believe it is your right." (4.16.21)
Em's right, you say? Laurentini's choice to bequeath the picture symbolizes a change in tide for poor Em. After having all of her properties ripped away from her, Em is about to become the sole heiress of Laurentini's fortune. Oh yeah, and she gets all the land back that Montoni and Quesnel took from her. When Laurentini gives Em the picture of her doppelgänger, she's all set to reclaim her rightful identity as a powerful, wealthy woman.