Gallery 28

Portrait of Miss D.

Portrait of Miss D. by William Merritt Chase

What questions does this portrait ask?

The subject of this elegant full-length portrait is Alice Dieudonnée, Chase’s oldest child with his wife, Alice Bremond Gerson. Chase often used family and friends as models for his paintings, and his wife and children were often recognized in public as the subjects in his work. As Alice grew older, she gradually replaced her mother and namesake as a favorite model, perhaps in part because she increasingly resembled her mother at the age she met the artist.

Mother and Child

Mother and Child by John Henry Twachtman

What does this painting reveal about motherhood?

A founding member of The Ten, Twachtman was one of the foremost American Impressionists of his era. In this highly personal domestic scene, the artist’s wife, Martha, holds their baby up to a mirror. She lovingly watches her child as he studies his reflection, though it is unclear whether he will react with pleasure or surprise. The painting also features another artwork hanging behind Martha on the right side of the canvas, locating this scene in the artist’s home.

Mother and Child

Mother and Child by John Henry Twachtman

What does this painting reveal about motherhood?

A founding member of The Ten, Twachtman was one of the foremost American Impressionists of his era. In this highly personal domestic scene, the artist’s wife, Martha, holds their baby up to a mirror. She lovingly watches her child as he studies his reflection, though it is unclear whether he will react with pleasure or surprise. The painting also features another artwork hanging behind Martha on the right side of the canvas, locating this scene in the artist’s home.

Outdoor Stage, France

Outdoor Stage, France by Everett Shinn

Do any art forms have universal appeal?

Vaudeville theaters functioned not just as playhouses but as social venues where people of all kinds came to mix and mingle. Shinn was particularly stagestruck by this environment, producing dozens of drawings, pastels, and paintings of American and European theatrical performances and the people who attended them. This work was inspired by sketches Shinn made in Paris, combining elements of the American vaudeville experience with French entertainment.

Outdoor Stage, France

Outdoor Stage, France by Everett Shinn

Do any art forms have universal appeal?

Vaudeville theaters functioned not just as playhouses but as social venues where people of all kinds came to mix and mingle. Shinn was particularly stagestruck by this environment, producing dozens of drawings, pastels, and paintings of American and European theatrical performances and the people who attended them. This work was inspired by sketches Shinn made in Paris, combining elements of the American vaudeville experience with French entertainment.