Portrait of the Artist’s Wife

Henry Ossawa Tanner, Portrait of the Artist's Wife, 1897?, oil on fiberboard, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Jack Hafif, 1983.95.211
Henry Ossawa Tanner, Portrait of the Artist's Wife, 1897?, oil on fiberboard, 22 3⁄8 x 18 7⁄8 in. (56.8 x 47.9 cm.), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Jack Hafif, 1983.95.211
Free to use

Artwork Details

Title
Portrait of the Artist’s Wife
Artist
Date
1897?
Location
Dimensions
22 3⁄8 x 18 7⁄8 in. (56.8 x 47.9 cm.)
Credit Line
Gift of Jack Hafif
Mediums
Mediums Description
oil on fiberboard
Classifications
Subjects
  • Portrait female — Tanner, Henry Ossawa, Mrs. — bust
Object Number
1983.95.211
Linked Open Data
https://edan.si.edu/saam/id/object/1983.95.211

Artwork Description

Jessie Macauley Olssen first met Henry Ossawa Tanner in Barbizon, France. They married in Paris in 1899 and had one child together. In this portrait, Mrs. Tanner is shown in a highly studied pose meant to look informal and casual. Tanner painted Jessie’s face with greater detail than her dress, which he painted in a loose, unfinished manner.

Works by this artist (67 items)

View all artworks
Henry Ossawa Tanner, Study for Moses and the Burning Bush, oil on canvas, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Jesse O. Tanner, 1983.95.207B
Study for Moses and the Burning Bush
Artist
oil on canvas
On view
Henry Ossawa Tanner, Study for the Young Sabot Maker, ca. 1895, oil on canvas, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Norman Robbins, 1983.95.208
Study for the Young Sabot Maker
Artist
Dateca. 1895
oil on canvas
On view
Henry Ossawa Tanner, Gateway, Tangier, ca. 1910, oil on plywood, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Norman Robbins, 1983.95.190
Gateway, Tangier
Artist
Dateca. 1910
oil on plywood
On view
Henry Ossawa Tanner, Untitled, n.d., oil on wood panel, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Norman Robbins, 1983.95.188B
Untitled
Artist
Daten.d.
oil on wood panel
On view

More Artworks from the Collection

Browse All Artworks
Image Not Available
Aurora Australis
Artist
oil on canvas
Not on view
Alice Pike Barney, Self-Portrait Reflected in Mirror, 1896, oil on canvas, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Laura Dreyfus Barney and Natalie Clifford Barney in memory of their mother, Alice Pike Barney, 1966.111.15
Self-Portrait Reflected in Mirror
Artist
Date1896
oil on canvas
Not on view
Edward Mitchell Bannister, Untitled (Landscape with Two Women Reclining on Rocks), oil on canvas, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of H. Alan and Melvin Frank, 1983.95.132
Untitled (Landscape with Two Women Reclining on Rocks)
Artist
oil on canvas
Not on view
Alice Pike Barney, Woman with Red Hood, n.d., oil on canvas, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Laura Dreyfus Barney and Natalie Clifford Barney in memory of their mother, Alice Pike Barney, 1952.13.66
Woman with Red Hood
Artist
Daten.d.
oil on canvas
Not on view