Girl Arranging Her Hair

Abbott Handerson Thayer, Girl Arranging Her Hair, 1918-1919, oil on canvas, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of John Gellatly, 1929.6.117
Copied Abbott Handerson Thayer, Girl Arranging Her Hair, 1918-1919, oil on canvas, 25 5⁄8 x 24 1⁄4 in. (65.1 x 61.5 cm.), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of John Gellatly, 1929.6.117
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Artwork Details

Title
Girl Arranging Her Hair
Artist
Date
1918-1919
Location
Dimensions
25 5⁄8 x 24 1⁄4 in. (65.1 x 61.5 cm.)
Credit Line
Gift of John Gellatly
Mediums
Mediums Description
oil on canvas
Classifications
Subjects
  • Portrait female — Thayer, Gerald, Mrs. — waist length
  • Recreation — leisure — grooming
Object Number
1929.6.117
Linked Open Data
https://edan.si.edu/saam/id/object/1929.6.117

Artwork Description

Alma Wollerman Thayer was the wife of Abbott Thayer's son, Gerald, and mother of Thayer's grandchildren. She was one of his favorite models, and he spoke of his obsession with her sensual features. He created multiple versions of this composition, but claimed that he had never painted anything to compare with this Botticelli-like Alma head (Prelinger, American Impressionism: Treasures from the Smithsonian American Art Museum, 2000).