Image scanned from a transparency and color-corrected by Ed Pollard-2008.

Lady in Yellow (Eleanor Reeves)

Artist Susan Watkins (American, 1875 - 1913)

Date1902

MediumOil on canvas

Dimensions44 1/2 × 35 1/2 in. (113 × 90.2 cm)
Overall, Frame: 58 × 47 1/4 × 2 3/4 in. (147.3 × 120 × 7 cm)

ClassificationsAmerican art

Credit LineBequest of Goldsborough Serpell

Object number46.76.137

Terms

Woman
Interior
Umbrella
Fashion
Multi

Collections

American Art before 1945

On View

Not on view

DescriptionThis is an oil on canvas painting. It is a full-length portrait of a woman (the artist's sister, Eleanor Reeves) seated on a settee and backed comfortably by four large pillows. Her left elbow rests on a large pillow and her head rests on her left hand, a closed white umbrella in her right. The room is filled with muted tones; the venetian blinds are closed giving only hints of the bright outdoor sunlight. Her face is quiet and reflective, and her yellow dress provides the bright focus of the painting. Closest to the viewer is a large triangle of yellow created by her skirt. Her hat, belt, gloves and drape are black creating a dramatic contrast to her bright yellow dress.

Label TextSusan Watkins American, 1875–1913 Lady in Yellow (Eleanor Reeves), 1902 Oil on canvas After building an international reputation in Paris and New York, American painter Susan Watkins married her longtime suitor, Norfolk native Goldsborough Serpell, in 1912. The couple moved to Virginia, but the artist had already fallen ill and died the following year. Her husband later donated 62 works by Watkins to the Museum. Unlike John Singer Sargent and professional society portraitists of the day, Watkins concentrated on creating distinctive visual arrangements of light and color, using family and friends as models. Here her sister Eleanor poses in a shadowy interior wearing a brilliant yellow dress. Bequest of Goldsborough Serpell 46.76.137