Artwork
Young Girl Dressing
Young Girl Dressing is a graphite drawing by the Impressionist artist Laura Theresa Alma-Tadema. It dates from 1889 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art. Created around 1889, this graphite drawing on cream-wove paper presents a young girl caught in the act of dressing.
- Inscription
- Inscribed:center in graphite: Laura Alma Tadema; lower right in brown ink inscribed by the artist or her husband, Lawrence Alma-Tadema: outside measure of mount / 22 inches by 18. / sight measure to cover pencil lines; by later hand, lower center verso in graphite: 25-9 = 90+30-16; by later hand, lower right verso in graphite: P
About this work
Overview
Created around 1889, this graphite drawing on cream-wove paper presents a young girl caught in the act of dressing. The work is a quick study, focusing on the gesture and posture rather than elaborate detail, and serves as a preparatory sketch for a larger composition by the British artist Laura Theresa Alma‑Tadema.
Subject & Meaning
The composition captures a private, everyday moment: the girl, shown in profile, lifts her arm to adjust a high‑collared dress trimmed with lace. Her hair is pulled back and secured with a bow, emphasizing a modest, domestic atmosphere that reflects Alma‑Tadema’s interest in the intimate lives of children and women.
Technique & Style
Executed in loose, rapid graphite lines, the drawing conveys movement through gestural strokes rather than precise rendering. The monochrome medium highlights the study’s purpose as a draft, with minimal shading and no coloration, allowing the artist to concentrate on the figure’s pose and the dynamics of fabric.
History & Provenance
Laura Theresa Alma‑Tadema, noted for genre scenes of women and children, exhibited eighteen works at the Royal Academy during her career. This particular sketch, annotated as a pose study for a larger work, illustrates her preparatory process. Its provenance traces back to the artist’s own studio archives, where the handwritten note records its function as a compositional reference.
Own this work as a print
Artist & collection
Artist
Laura Theresa, Lady Alma-Tadema (née Epps; 16 April 1852 – 15 August 1909) was a British painter specialising in domestic and genre scenes of women and children.
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