A Gentlewoman

J. Alden Weir, A Gentlewoman, 1906, oil on canvas, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of William T. Evans, 1909.7.72
Copied J. Alden Weir, A Gentlewoman, 1906, oil on canvas, 30 x 25 in. (76.2 x 63.5 cm), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of William T. Evans, 1909.7.72
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Artwork Details

Title
A Gentlewoman
Artist
Date
1906
Location
Dimensions
30 x 25 in. (76.2 x 63.5 cm)
Credit Line
Gift of William T. Evans
Mediums
Mediums Description
oil on canvas
Classifications
Subjects
  • Portrait female — unidentified — waist length
Object Number
1909.7.72
Linked Open Data
https://edan.si.edu/saam/id/object/1909.7.72

Artwork Description

In A Gentlewoman, J. Alden Weir depicted a well-dressed young woman in a moment of personal reflection. She rests lightly on a chair with her eyes cast downward, completely unaware of the viewer. A contemporary critic praised this woman for her "mixture of sturdiness and charm," qualities valued in turn-of-the-century gentlewomen. In the early twentieth century, modernization brought on by steam power and railroads caused feelings of anxiety among many Americans. To help alleviate such feelings, artists created images like these of quiet interior scenes, a visually soothing antidote to an unquiet age.