Portrait of a Woman (Miss Gertrude Bloede)

Abbott Handerson Thayer, Portrait of a Woman (Miss Gertrude Bloede), ca. 1881, oil on canvas, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of John Gellatly, 1929.6.125
Copied Abbott Handerson Thayer, Portrait of a Woman (Miss Gertrude Bloede), ca. 1881, oil on canvas, 16 5⁄8 x 14 in. (42.2 x 35.7 cm), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of John Gellatly, 1929.6.125
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Artwork Details

Title
Portrait of a Woman (Miss Gertrude Bloede)
Artist
Date
ca. 1881
Location
Dimensions
16 5⁄8 x 14 in. (42.2 x 35.7 cm)
Credit Line
Gift of John Gellatly
Mediums
Mediums Description
oil on canvas
Classifications
Subjects
  • Portrait female — Bloede, Gertrude, Miss — bust
Object Number
1929.6.125
Linked Open Data
https://edan.si.edu/saam/id/object/1929.6.125

Artwork Description

Gertrude Bloede was the sister of Abbott Thayer’s first wife, Kate. The Bloedes were German immigrants who lived in Brooklyn and regularly entertained a circle of intellectuals. Both daughters were highly creative and independent: Kate was an artist, and Gertrude was a noted writer who published her romantic poetry under the pseudonym Stuart Sterne. In this portrait sketch, Thayer gave his sister-in-law a faraway look, as though she were lost in thought, perhaps composing a poem.