So Says Cecilia
"Art is not born of beauty. It is born of life—and in one form or another, vigorous, developed life always turns towards beauty."
—Cecilia BeauxCecilia Beaux portrayed the leading social and political figures of the Gilded Age with an appealing elegance that won her great acclaim.
"She has painted into her portraits the qualities which are paramount in her," said one observer. Her brother-in-law Henry Drinker, a railroad magnate and university president, sat for this portrait with his cat.
Source: Richard Murray. The Gilded Age: Treasures from the Smithsonian American Art Museum (exhibition text, Smithsonian American Art Museum, 1999).
Pictured: Cecilia Beaux, 1855–1942, Man with the Cat (Henry Sturgis Drinker), 1898, oil, 48 x 34 5/8 in., Smithsonian American Art Museum, Bequest of Henry Ward Ranger through the National Academy of Design.