On loan to The Met The Met accepts temporary loans of art both for short-term exhibitions and for long-term display in its galleries.
Ruth Draper as a Dalmation Peasant
John Singer Sargent American
Not on view
American actor and monologist Ruth Draper (1884–1956) established her reputation with impersonations of various characters that she brought to life with amazing veracity. Sargent executed a conventional charcoal portrait of Draper in 1913 before seeing her perform. Draper described how Sargent, apparently mesmerized by her performance, told her, "Destroy the portrait. I want to draw you as one of your characters." He later created this intense likeness of Draper in costume. Sargent presented this bold, dark charcoal drawing and another sketch to Draper as a token of his admiration. Draper recalled, "He would not take a cent for them, not a cent."
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