Self-Portrait

Romaine Brooks, Self-Portrait, 1923, oil on canvas, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of the artist, 1966.49.1
Romaine Brooks, Self-Portrait, 1923, oil on canvas, 46 1⁄4 x 26 7⁄8 in. (117.5 x 68.3 cm), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of the artist, 1966.49.1

Artwork Details

Title
Self-Portrait
Artist
Date
1923
Location
Not on view
Dimensions
46 1⁄4 x 26 7⁄8 in. (117.5 x 68.3 cm)
Credit Line
Gift of the artist
Mediums
Mediums Description
oil on canvas
Classifications
Subjects
  • Occupation — art — printmaker
  • Portrait female — Brooks, Romaine — waist length
  • Portrait female — Brooks, Romaine — self-portrait
  • Dress — accessory — hat
  • Occupation — art — designer
  • Cityscape
  • Occupation — art — painter
Object Number
1966.49.1
Linked Open Data
https://edan.si.edu/saam/id/object/1966.49.1

Artwork Description

With this self-portrait, Brooks envisioned her modernity as an artist and a person. The modulated shades of gray, stylized forms, and psychological gravity exemplify her deep commitment to aesthetic principles. The shaded, direct gaze conveys a commanding and confident presence, an attitude more typically associated with her male counterparts. The riding hat and coat and masculine tailoring recall conventions of aristocratic portraiture while also evoking a chic androgyny associated with the post--World War I "new woman." Brooks's fashion choices also enabled upper-class lesbians to identify and acknowledge one another.

The Art of Romaine Brooks, 2016

Works by this artist (3 items)

Bob Schnepf, Iron Butterfly (Iron Butterfly, Velvet Underground...Avalon Ballroom, San Francisco, California 6/7/68-6/9/68), 1968, color offset lithograph on paper, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Sidney Lawrence III, 2007.27.29
Iron Butterfly (Iron Butterfly, Velvet Underground…Avalon…
Artist
Date1968
color offset lithograph on paper
Not on view
Bob Schnepf, Triplets (Jerry Steig and the Satyrs, Sons of Champlin...Avalon Ballroom, San Francisco, California 3/29/68-3/31/68), 1968, color offset lithograph, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Sidney Lawrence III, 2007.27.30
Triplets (Jerry Steig and the Satyrs, Sons of Champlin…
Artist
Date1968
color offset lithograph
Not on view
Bob Schnepf, Dancing Bear (Quicksilver Messenger Service, Ace of Cups...Avalon Ballroom, San Francisco, California 5/10/68-5/12/68), 1968, color offset lithograph on paper, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Sidney Lawrence III, 2007.27.38
Dancing Bear (Quicksilver Messenger Service, Ace of Cups…
Artist
Date1968
color offset lithograph on paper
Not on view

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City is Man
Artist
Date1941-1952
linocut
Not on view
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Untitled
Artist
Date1976
embossed paper
Not on view
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Mandala
Artist
Date1977
lithograph
Not on view
Image Not Available
Les Quais de la Seine a Paris
Artist
Date1917
hand-colored etching on postcard
Not on view