Miss Mathilde Townsend
1907
- Dimensions
- 152.7 × 101.6 cm
- Medium
- Oil on canvas
- Collection
- National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Born in Italy to American parents, he spent his early years in Paris before esta…
✦ Highlights (technique & color)
The gown of silver-blue silk satin and its pale pink chiffon train are truly captivating. Sargent rendered the folds of the fabric with remarkably free, fluid brushstrokes, capturing a vibrant sense of movement as if swept up into the open air.
✦ The setting of this painting
Mathilde stands before a vast sky of clear topaz blue. Drifting clouds tinged with pink and pale violet create a dynamic atmosphere, carefully composed to harmonize with the fluid motion of her gown.
✦ Historical context
The year 1907 marked the closing years of America's Gilded Age. The privileged class, having amassed immense fortunes through rapid industrialization, commissioned portraits to display their social standing. Mathilde's family home was itself a grand mansion requiring an annual maintenance cost of $240,000.
Against a backdrop of blue sky and white clouds, stands a woman in a silver-blue dress.
She smiles gently, lightly holding up her pink train with both hands.
Her name is Mathilde Townsend.
This portrait was commissioned by her in 1907, when she was 22 years old.
It was a birthday gift for her mother, Mary.
Her father, Richard, had passed away in a riding accident in 1901.
The remaining mother and daughter resided in a grand mansion in Washington D.C.
Its upkeep cost $240,000 annually.
Surrounded by immense wealth, Mathilde became renowned as an international beauty.
In 1910, she married Senator Peter Gerry.
It was a national social event, attended by President Taft.
Her wedding dress alone cost $15,000.
It was the pinnacle of a perfect life, envied by all.
However, in 1925, she chose to divorce.
And in the same year, she remarried Sumner Welles.
This decision caused a stir.
About 95 more words
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