The Charwoman

Romaine Brooks, The Charwoman, 1904, oil on canvas, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of the artist, 1968.18.14
Copied Romaine Brooks, The Charwoman, 1904, oil on canvas, 30 3⁄8 x 40 1⁄2 in. (77.1 x 102.9 cm), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of the artist, 1968.18.14

Artwork Details

Title
The Charwoman
Artist
Date
1904
Location
Not on view
Dimensions
30 3⁄8 x 40 1⁄2 in. (77.1 x 102.9 cm)
Credit Line
Gift of the artist
Mediums
Mediums Description
oil on canvas
Classifications
Subjects
  • Portrait female — unidentified — waist length
  • Waterscape — harbor
  • Cityscape — wharf
Object Number
1968.18.14
Linked Open Data
https://edan.si.edu/saam/id/object/1968.18.14

Artwork Description

Like many of Brooks's early paintings, The Charwoman focuses on the woman's feminine costume. The use of softly modulated grays and subtly layered paint contrasts with the linear angles and cramped placement of the figure near an open window. The heavy atmospheric mood tinged with melancholy suggests, but doesn't reveal, this woman's internal reverie.

The Art of Romaine Brooks, 2016