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Ada Rehan

John Singer Sargent American

1894–95

On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 771

Born Delia Crehan in Limerick, Ireland, Ada Rehan (1860–1916) moved to America at a young age and first appeared on stage when she was sixteen years old. A misprint on a theater bill rendered her name Ada C. Rehan (instead of Crehan), and the name stuck. In 1879, she joined Augustin Daly's company, and became renowned on both sides of the Atlantic for playing in Shakespeare's comedies and in contemporary plays.

In this portrait, which was commissioned by an American admirer, Sargent accentuates the actor's imposing stage presence, though she is not in character. Set against a massive Flemish-style tapestry, she appears almost as if she is part of the procession. That Sargent shows her in the grand manner and scale typical of paintings of royalty points to changing ideas of celebrity in the late nineteenth century.

Ada Rehan, John Singer Sargent (American, Florence 1856–1925 London), Oil on canvas, American — This image cannot be enlarged, viewed at full screen, or downloaded.

Ada Rehan, John Singer Sargent (American, Florence 1856–1925 London), Oil on canvas, American

Ada Rehan, John Singer Sargent (American, Florence 1856–1925 London), Oil on canvas, American

Ada Rehan, John Singer Sargent (American, Florence 1856–1925 London), Oil on canvas, American

Ada Rehan, John Singer Sargent (American, Florence 1856–1925 London), Oil on canvas, American

Ada Rehan, John Singer Sargent (American, Florence 1856–1925 London), Oil on canvas, American

Ada Rehan, John Singer Sargent (American, Florence 1856–1925 London), Oil on canvas, American

Ada Rehan, John Singer Sargent (American, Florence 1856–1925 London), Oil on canvas, American

Ada Rehan, John Singer Sargent (American, Florence 1856–1925 London), Oil on canvas, American

Ada Rehan, John Singer Sargent (American, Florence 1856–1925 London), Oil on canvas, American

Ada Rehan, John Singer Sargent (American, Florence 1856–1925 London), Oil on canvas, American

Ada Rehan, John Singer Sargent (American, Florence 1856–1925 London), Oil on canvas, American

Ada Rehan, John Singer Sargent (American, Florence 1856–1925 London), Oil on canvas, American

Ada Rehan, John Singer Sargent (American, Florence 1856–1925 London), Oil on canvas, American

Ada Rehan, John Singer Sargent (American, Florence 1856–1925 London), Oil on canvas, American

Ada Rehan, John Singer Sargent (American, Florence 1856–1925 London), Oil on canvas, American

Ada Rehan, John Singer Sargent (American, Florence 1856–1925 London), Oil on canvas, American

Ada Rehan, John Singer Sargent (American, Florence 1856–1925 London), Oil on canvas, American

Ada Rehan, John Singer Sargent (American, Florence 1856–1925 London), Oil on canvas, American

Ada Rehan, John Singer Sargent (American, Florence 1856–1925 London), Oil on canvas, American

Ada Rehan, John Singer Sargent (American, Florence 1856–1925 London), Oil on canvas, American

Ada Rehan, John Singer Sargent (American, Florence 1856–1925 London), Oil on canvas, American

Ada Rehan, John Singer Sargent (American, Florence 1856–1925 London), Oil on canvas, American

Ada Rehan, John Singer Sargent (American, Florence 1856–1925 London), Oil on canvas, American

Ada Rehan, John Singer Sargent (American, Florence 1856–1925 London), Oil on canvas, American

Ada Rehan, John Singer Sargent (American, Florence 1856–1925 London), Oil on canvas, American

Ada Rehan, John Singer Sargent (American, Florence 1856–1925 London), Oil on canvas, American

Ada Rehan, John Singer Sargent (American, Florence 1856–1925 London), Oil on canvas, American

Ada Rehan, John Singer Sargent (American, Florence 1856–1925 London), Oil on canvas, American

Ada Rehan, John Singer Sargent (American, Florence 1856–1925 London), Oil on canvas, American

Ada Rehan, John Singer Sargent (American, Florence 1856–1925 London), Oil on canvas, American

Ada Rehan, John Singer Sargent (American, Florence 1856–1925 London), Oil on canvas, American

Ada Rehan, John Singer Sargent (American, Florence 1856–1925 London), Oil on canvas, American

Ada Rehan, John Singer Sargent (American, Florence 1856–1925 London), Oil on canvas, American

Ada Rehan, John Singer Sargent (American, Florence 1856–1925 London), Oil on canvas, American

Ada Rehan, John Singer Sargent (American, Florence 1856–1925 London), Oil on canvas, American

Ada Rehan, John Singer Sargent (American, Florence 1856–1925 London), Oil on canvas, American

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Title: Ada Rehan

Artist: John Singer Sargent (American, Florence 1856–1925 London)

Date: 1894–95

Culture: American

Medium: Oil on canvas

Dimensions: 93 x 50 1/8in. (236.2 x 127.3cm)
Framed: 8 ft. 6 1/4 in. × 58 3/4 in. × 4 1/2 in. (259.7 × 149.2 × 11.4 cm)

Credit Line: Bequest of Catharine Lasell Whitin, in memory of Ada Rehan, 1940

Object Number: 40.146

Essay

America Comes of Age: 1876-1900

Essay

American Impressionism

Essay

Americans in Paris, 1860-1900

Essay

John Singer Sargent (1856-1925)

Essay

Nineteenth-Century American Drawings

Chronology

The United States and Canada, 1800-1900 A.D.

American Paintings in The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Vol. 3, A Catalogue of Works by Artists Born between 1846 and 1864

American Paintings in The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Vol. 3, A Catalogue of Works by Artists Born between 1846 and 1864

American Drawings and Watercolors in The Metropolitan Museum of Art: John Singer Sargent

American Drawings and Watercolors in The Metropolitan Museum of Art: John Singer Sargent

"John Singer Sargent in The Metropolitan Museum of Art"

"John Singer Sargent in The Metropolitan Museum of Art"

"John Singer Sargent Painting Fashion"

"John Singer Sargent Painting Fashion"

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