Who is this?
Actually, although we know a lot about the artist William Merritt Chase, we do not know who this sitter is! Our records just record her as "young woman." She may have been one of Chase's studio models.
Brooklyn collected this portrait because it reflects the growing late nineteenth-century American interest in Asian arts and crafts. Japanese objects, increasingly accessible after the opening of trade with Japan in the 1860s, were particularly favored.
Why are these two paired up?
They're paired to point out the cross-cultural dialogue that's taking place. For example, notice the woman's wardrobe in William Merritt Chase's painting. She's wearing a Japanese kimono, showing the late 19th century American interest in Asian arts and culture after trade was reestablished between the Western world and Japan for the first time in more than two hundred years."
Why is this woman wearing a kimono?
As you may have already read on the label, this portrait by William Merritt Chase demonstrates "Japonisme," the European and American interest in Japanese art and culture in the late 1800s and early 1900s.
Chase collected many props from the so-called "Orient" and displayed them in this studio and used them in his paintings. If you head up to the 5th floor you'll see more of his work!
Do we know much about the actual woman in the painting?
While we don't know her identity, scholars suggest that the level of details and rendering of the facial features of the sitter might indicate that she is a close friend or relative of the artist. In other, similar portraits of women, Chase didn't describe the sitters' faces with the same degree of detail that we see here.
Wow, thank you for this info! This app is great!
Tell me more.
The painting you photographed, called "Girl in a Japanese Costume" exemplifies the popularity of Japanese fashions in Europe and the U.S. in the late 19th century. In the arts, a newfound interest in Japanese printmaking and graphic style was referred to as “Japonisme.” Japan had only recently opened up its borders to trade, allowing this influx of Japanese culture into the West.
You moved her!
Yes! She is one of my favorite paintings in the collection - I'm glad you noticed her in the corner!
Chase collected kimonos for his models to wear. In the 1890s, a kimono would have appeared very informal and private, almost "undressed," to Western eyes.