Marguerite
Artist
Susan Watkins
(American, 1875 - 1913)
CultureAmerican
Dateca. 1906
MediumOil on canvas
Dimensions79 1/2 × 37 3/8 in. (201.9 × 94.9 cm)
Overall, Frame: 86 1/4 × 44 1/2 × 2 3/4 in. (219.1 × 113 × 7 cm)
Overall, Frame: 86 1/4 × 44 1/2 × 2 3/4 in. (219.1 × 113 × 7 cm)
InscribedSigned lower right in printed letters "Susan Watkins". On top stretcher "P. Navez/Emballages de Tableaux/76 Rue Blanche 76 Paris Exposition de Philadelphia". On cross stretcher stamped twice and once more on vertical stretcher "B.R.D. Annual Esposition #570".
Credit LineBequest of Goldsborough Serpell
Object number46.76.146
On View
Chrysler Museum of Art, Gallery 217
Label TextSusan Watkins American, 1875–1913 Marguerite, ca. 1906 Oil on canvas According to family lore, this young woman was a maid who worked for painter Susan Watkins in France. The goal of Watkins’ portraits like Marguerite and Lady in Yellow (in the adjacent gallery) was not to capture the identity of her sitters. Instead, the model, costume, jewelry, and elegant interior setting express a mood of grace and refinement. Here, these elements also allow Watkins to explore the complex layers of thin fabric and nuanced shades of white within the dress and background wall. Bequest of Goldsborough Serpell 46.76.146 ProvenanceThe artist, Susan Watkins Serpell, bequeathed to her husband, Goldsborough Serpell, 1913; Bequest of Goldsborough Serpell to the Norfolk Museum of Arts and Sciences, 1946; Norfolk Museum of Arts and Sciences transferred to the Chrysler Museum, 1971. Exhibition History103rd Annual Exhibition of the Pennsylvania Academy Jan. 20-Feb. 29, 1908. "The Gentle Modernist: The Art of Susan Watkins," Waitzer Community Gallery, Chrysler Museum of Art, Norfolk, Va., May 15, 2002 - March 2003. "Behind the Seen: The Chrysler's Hidden Museum," Large Changing Gallery, Chrysler Museum of Art, Norfolk, Va., October 21, 2005 - February 19, 2006. "Women of the Chrysler: a 400-Year Celebration of the Arts," Large Changing Gallery, Chrysler Museum of Art, Norfolk, Va., March 24 - July 18, 2010.Published ReferencesListed as #719 (p. 52) in catalog of the 103rd Annual Exhibition of the Pennsylvania Academy Jan.20-Feb.29 1908. Jeff Harrison, "The Art of Susan Watkins, 1875-1913," _American Art Review_ XV, No. 1(February 2003): 142-149, illustrated p. 147.
