Self-Portrait

Priscilla Roberts, Self-Portrait, 1946, oil on masonite, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Museum Purchase, 1991.197
Copied Priscilla Roberts, Self-Portrait, 1946, oil on masonite, 29 7814 18 in. (75.835.9 cm), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Museum Purchase, 1991.197

Artwork Details

Title
Self-Portrait
Date
1946
Location
Not on view
Dimensions
29 7814 18 in. (75.835.9 cm)
Credit Line
Museum Purchase
Mediums
Mediums Description
oil on masonite
Classifications
Keywords
  • Dress — accessory — hat
  • Occupation — art — painter
  • Animal — bird — goose
  • Portrait female — Roberts, Priscilla — self-portrait
  • Portrait female — Roberts, Priscilla — full length
  • Object — art tool — palette
  • Architecture Interior — studio
  • Object — art tool — easel
  • Object — tool — ladder
Object Number
1991.197

Artwork Description

Self-Portrait shows the artist as a young woman living in New York. Priscilla Roberts painted with photographic precision, copying her subjects “exactly and completely” and taking many months to complete one image (2001, The Wilton Bulletin, Ask Art Biography). She was an eccentric lady who lived much of her later life as a recluse, and the large straw hat, stuffed birds, and stepladders in this painting reflect her quirky, obsessive character.