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Mrs. Walter Rathbone Bacon (Virginia Purdy Barker, 1862–1919)

Anders Zorn Swedish
1897
Not on view

Zorn found a loyal and enthusiastic clientele among upper-class Americans like Virginia Bacon and her family. Her brother-in-law, Edward, commissioned this portrait along with one of himself, now also in The Met (19.112). Virginia sat for Zorn in 1897, during his third visit to the States. With assured, fluid brushwork and soft color harmonies, he portrayed his sitter in a moment of unaffected grace, hugging her collie dog. The dynamic, diagonal composition and high vantage point, unusual in the artist’s work, may be a bid to rival John Singer Sargent, who painted Virginia the previous year (Biltmore Estate, Asheville, North Carolina).

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Mrs. Walter Rathbone Bacon (Virginia Purdy Barker, 1862–1919)
  • Artist: Anders Zorn (Swedish, Mora 1860–1920 Mora)
  • Date: 1897
  • Medium: Oil on canvas
  • Dimensions: 67 1/4 x 42 1/2 in. (170.8 x 108 cm)
  • Classification: Paintings
  • Credit Line: Gift of Mrs. Walter Rathbone Bacon, in memory of her husband, 1917
  • Object Number: 17.204
  • Curatorial Department: European Paintings

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Frieda Schiff (1876–1958), Later Mrs. Felix M. Warburg, Anders Zorn Swedish, Oil on canvas
Frieda Schiff (1876–1958), Later Mrs. Felix M. Warburg
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Cabin, Anders Zorn Swedish, Etching; third state of three
Cabin
Anders Zorn
1917
Henry Marquand, Anders Zorn Swedish, Etching; only state
Henry Marquand
Anders Zorn
Henry G. Marquand
1893
A Toast II, Anders Zorn Swedish, Etching; fifth state of five (Asplund)
A Toast II
Multiple artists/makers
1893
Wet, Anders Zorn Swedish, Etching and drypoint, third state of three
Wet
Anders Zorn
1911

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