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
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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 (20 items)

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John Henry Twachtman, Round Hill Road, ca. 1890-1900, oil on canvas, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of William T. Evans, 1909.7.64
Round Hill Road
Artist
Dateca. 1890-1900
oil on canvas
On view
John Henry Twachtman, Figure in Sunlight (Artist's Wife), ca. 1890-1900, oil on canvas, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of John Gellatly, 1929.6.137
Figure in Sunlight (Artist’s Wife)
Artist
Dateca. 1890-1900
oil on canvas
On view
John Henry Twachtman, Hemlock Pool, ca. 1890-1900, oil on canvas, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of John Gellatly, 1929.6.140
Hemlock Pool
Artist
Dateca. 1890-1900
oil on canvas
On view
John Henry Twachtman, Chestnuts, after 1889, pastel on paper, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of John Gellatly, 1929.6.136
Chestnuts
Artist
Dateafter 1889
pastel on paper
Not on view

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Date1896
oil on canvas
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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
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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
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Daten.d.
oil on canvas
Not on view