John Singer Sargent's Mrs. William Playfair
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Mrs. William Playfair
(nee Emily Kitson, 1841-1916)
John Singer Sargent -- American painter 
1887 
Huntington Library, Art Collections and Botanical Gardens, San Marino, CA
Oil on canvas 
59 x 38 in.
Jpg: Traditional Fine Art Online
Jpg: Webshots
 
From: Traditional Fine Art Online  
Mrs. William Playfair was exhibited to great acclaim at the Royal Academy in 1887 and at the 1888 Paris Salon. The sitter (nee Emily Kitson, 1841-1916) is shown wearing a sumptnous yellow satin gown and a fur-lined, dark green velvet cloak. Set against an abstract background of deep red, she is ready to step out wearing distinctive jewels and carrying a fashionable fan and evening bag. As the fully mature forty-six-year-old wife of England's most prominent obstetrician and the mother of five children Emily Playfair appears solid and secure in her position and wealth. Yet she is also shown by Sargent as disarmingly relaxed, smiling with twinkling eyes and an open mouth--a pose unusual for a woman of her social standing." 

-- Traditional Fine Art Online 
   
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By:  Natasha Wallace
Copyright 1998-2004 all rights reserved
Created 10/24/2002
Updated 9/3/2004