Photographed by Scott Wolff. Color corrected by Pat Cagney.

The 1830 Girl (Portrait of Miss M. P. in Louis Philippe Costume)

Artist Susan Watkins (American, 1875 - 1913)

Date1900

MediumOil on canvas

DimensionsOverall: 44 x 30 3/4 in. (111.8 x 78.1 cm)
Overall, Frame: 57 1/2 x 45 1/4 in. (146.1 x 114.9 cm)

ClassificationsAmerican art

Credit LineBequest of Goldsborough Serpell

Object number46.76.147

Terms

Woman
History
Costumes
Handbag
Purses
Hats
Shawl

On View

On view

DescriptionOil painting depicting a seated young woman in a historical costume, circa 1830. She wears an elaborate white bonnet with black feathers, which ties underneath her chin with a bluish-green bow. Her white dress is covered by a gauzy wrap; around her right wrist a red and black handbag hangs. She holds a parasol (only the handle visible) with her left hand.

Label TextSusan Watkins American (1875-1913) The 1830 Girl (Portrait of Miss M.P. in Louis Philippe Costume), 1900 Oil on canvas Goldsborough Serpell Bequest 46.76.147 Watkins emerged from her study with Raphael Collin as a gifted interpreter of the human form, and in 1899 she began to exhibit figure pieces-both portraits and scenes of everyday life-at the Paris Salon. Among the most successful of these early works was The 1830 Girl, which won a third-class gold medal at the 1901 Salon. Wearing the elaborately feathered bonnet and gauzy evening wrap fashionable during the reign of King Louis Philippe (r. 1830-1848), the subject here reflects Watkins' early interest in "historical portraiture"-romantic, fancy-dress images that nostalgically evoke an earlier age. The painting also reveals her gifts as a colorist. The sitter's pale flesh and gown-a medley of cream and ivory hues brushed with pink and green-are dramatically set against a dark background. The 1830 Girl secured Watkins' reputation in Paris and the United States, where it went on to win a silver medal in Saint Louis at the 1904 Universal Exposition Commemorating the Acquisition of the Louisiana Purchase.