Thursday, May 26, 2011

Portrait of Madam T

Edmund Tarbell, a Boston artist, painted this portrait of his wife in 1888.  He called it Portrait of Madam T, a puckish reference to an earlier scandalous portrait by John Singer Sargent of a woman with a plunging neckline, which Sargent called Portrait of Madame X.

This painting is in the permanent collection of the New Britain Museum of American Art, which offered a dry and pleasant refuge during last week's rainstorms. The blue skies have returned, so I can begin showing outdoor pictures again.
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19 comments:

  1. PerthDailyPhotoMay 26, 2011 at 6:04 AM

    Not a bad place to take shelter Jack, and we get to see some portraits, it's all good!!

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  2. SusieMay 26, 2011 at 6:41 AM

    Nice wife portrait:)

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  3. Regina KMay 26, 2011 at 6:42 AM

    That coat and painting go well together. I like inside shots too, especially art museums.

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  4. Dave-CostaRicaDailyPhoto.comMay 26, 2011 at 7:10 AM

    This is an enriching series of the museum. We don't have as many portrait galleries in Arizona, nor very many philanthropists, as the population was small until about 50 years ago. T

    he best nearby portrait gallery is the Huntington Library and Gardens in Pasadena, which is the legacy of a captain of industry from 100 years ago. It contains Gainsborogh's "Blue Boy" and many other portraits, primarily British.

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  5. brattcatMay 26, 2011 at 8:05 AM

    wonderful red echo here.

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  6. LowellMay 26, 2011 at 9:39 AM

    Hi Kitty! So, you snuck your camera into the museum and snuck a picture of a woman with a plunging neckline.

    I really like you!

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  7. EG CameraGirlMay 26, 2011 at 9:43 AM

    I love that both women in this photo are wearing red. :)

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  8. jennyfrecklesMay 26, 2011 at 12:31 PM

    A phrase came into my head seeing that...."That's my last duchess painted on the wall...". The first line of a poem by Robert Browning that I studied at school and haven't thought of since. I also like the two ladies in red.

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  9. jooMay 26, 2011 at 12:40 PM

    Ladies in Red:)
    Superb photo Jack!

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  10. Sylvia KMay 26, 2011 at 1:17 PM

    Great place to avoid the rain and you got a terrific shot! Love that red dress! Always enjoy the bits of history that you add! Hope your week is going well, Jack! Enjoy the sunshine while it lasts!

    Sylvia

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  11. ShannonMay 26, 2011 at 1:36 PM

    You inspire me to go to more museums with all your pictures in them. I've lived here for 7 years and never been to the museum. I will change that this year.

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  12. cieldequimperMay 26, 2011 at 2:49 PM

    Ahhh I'm so glad you changed your settings! I was looking up the Blogger Help forum and read that the advice was to switch from one's usual browser to Chrome. Now why would I want to do that, eh? :-)

    I am REALLY enjoying this series. I love how you caught a lady in a red raincoat looking at this gorgeous painting. And the other day, I was going to say that your top photo made me want to glide through the yellow room, in an appropriate very long gown, to one of the chairs...

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  13. RedPatMay 26, 2011 at 3:13 PM

    How much did you pay that woman to pose with her red coat? She is perfect there. Love the portrait.

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  14. DawnMay 26, 2011 at 8:08 PM

    I like it. No worries about your inside shots...we love them.
    I like the red and the red here...

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  15. Genie -- Paris and BeyondMay 26, 2011 at 9:35 PM

    Beautiful portrait en rouge, created by an artist with a finely honed sense of humor... Red of one century admiring red of another. Perhaps it works both ways.

    Bises,
    Genie

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  16. KateMay 26, 2011 at 11:54 PM

    Interesting to see the patron with the red coat admiring this wonderful portrait with the red dress!

    After a full day without access to my blog and wasting lots of time trying to solve the problem, I was about ready to give up when, lo and behold, I'm back on google's blogspot. I'm pretty tired of it this past month though and may explore other blog options. Any ideas?

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  17. SRQMay 27, 2011 at 7:11 AM

    Nice catch -- with the red & red. It seems they're admiring each other's hue selection.

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  18. MalyssMay 27, 2011 at 11:23 AM

    Two times, two women in red, two way to keep a memory of a woman... great shot! could be the beginning of a novel..

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  19. UnknownMay 27, 2011 at 3:27 PM

    Oh, excellent! You've changed the comments feature and now I can leave a comment!

    I love Madame X and I've seen a time or two.

    Thanks for the idea to visit New Britain to see this red madame up close and personal!

    Best,
    Gina

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