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Ernesta

Cecilia Beaux American
1914
On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 774
In 1899, Cecilia Beaux was heralded by her esteemed colleague William Merritt Chase as "not only the greatest living woman painter, but the best that has ever lived." Today, such a qualified accolade may be interpreted as a backhanded compliment; Beaux herself rejected the term "woman painter." The Met was an early supporter of the artist’s career, acquiring this depiction of her favorite niece, Ernesta Drinker, soon after it was produced. One critic praised "the skillful handling of the whites of the costume and sofa and . . . expression of animation and the charm of youth." It was joined in the collection some fifty years later by Ernesta (Child with Nurse), a dynamic portrayal of the same model at the age of two.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Ernesta
  • Artist: Cecilia Beaux (American, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 1855–1942 Gloucester, Massachusetts)
  • Date: 1914
  • Culture: American
  • Medium: Oil on canvas
  • Dimensions: 71 3/4 x 43 3/8 in. (182.2 x 110.2 cm)
  • Credit Line: Arthur Hoppock Hearn Fund, 1915
  • Object Number: 15.82
  • Curatorial Department: The American Wing

More Artwork

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The Century Magazine, "The Atlantic Fleet in the Spanish War", April 1899, Cecilia Beaux American, Commercial relief process and letterpress
The Century Magazine, "The Atlantic Fleet in the Spanish War", April 1899
Cecilia Beaux
The Century Company
1899
Mr. and Mrs. Anson Phelps Stokes, Cecilia Beaux American, Oil on canvas, American
Mr. and Mrs. Anson Phelps Stokes
Cecilia Beaux
1898
Charles Townsend Ludington, Cecilia Beaux American, Oil on canvas
Charles Townsend Ludington
Cecilia Beaux
1900
Plaque, Cecilia Beaux American, Porcelain, American
Plaque
Cecilia Beaux
1879–83
Ernesta (Child with Nurse), Cecilia Beaux American, Oil on canvas, American
Ernesta (Child with Nurse)
Cecilia Beaux
1894

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