Lady in Black

William Merritt Chase

1888 · Oil on canvas · The American Wing

Marietta Benedict Cotton (1868–1947) studied with Chase and became a successful society portraitist in New York and London. Chase later recalled: “One morning, a young lady came into my Tenth Street studio. . . . She came as a pupil but the moment she appeared before me I saw her only as a splendid model. . . . Such a model is a treasurefind. It is the personality that inspires, and which you depict on canvas.” An unabashed eclectic, Chase shared James McNeill Whistler’s predilection for monochromatic portraits and quoted the table at the left from John Singer Sargent’s "Madame X" (Madame Pierre Gautreau) of 1883–84 (16.53), also in the Museum's collection.

Artist

William Merritt Chase

Date

1888

Medium

Oil on canvas

Culture

American

Department

The American Wing

Credit line

Gift of William Merritt Chase, 1891