Anne with a Japanese Parasol

George Bellows painted Anne with a Japanese Parasol in 1917, executing it in oil on canvas (150.1 cm × 91.7 cm). The portrait shows Anne Bellows Kearney and remained in the artist’s family, passing from him to his wife Emma S. Bellows and then to her estate. In June 1964 the work was sold through H.V. Allison & Co., New York to Paul Mellon of Upperville, Virginia, and in 1983 it was gifted to the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., where it remains on view. Its provenance is documented from the artist’s inheritance through the Bellows family to the museum.

Anne with a Japanese Parasol has been part of the collection of the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., since 1983, when it was given by Paul Mellon. Mellon had acquired the painting in June 1964 through the New York dealer H.V. Allison & Co., purchasing it from the estate of Emma S. Bellows, the artist's wife. Prior to that, the work had descended by inheritance from the painter to his wife following his death in 1925.

The sources do not document any specific exhibitions of the painting beyond its inclusion in the National Gallery of Art's holdings.

George Bellows created the 1917 oil portrait Anne with a Japanese Parasol, depicting his sister-in-law Anne Bellows Kearney; the work is classified as a portrait and is part of the National Gallery of Art's collection in Washington, D.C.. Its provenance traces from the artist’s inheritance through his wife Emma Bellows to the estate, then to a 1964 purchase by Paul Mellon via H.V. Allison & Co., and finally as a 1983 gift to the NGA. The painting exemplifies Bellows' engagement with family subjects within his broader realist practice, situating it in the portrait genre of early 20th‑century American art.

Anne with a Japanese Parasol (1917) is an oil-on-canvas portrait by American realist George Bellows, depicting his wife, Anne Bellows Kearney. The work captures the subject standing outdoors, holding a Japanese parasol that casts a soft shadow across her figure. Bellows employs a loose, energetic brushstroke characteristic of his mature style, using dappled light to suggest a sunlit garden setting rather than rendering precise architectural details.

The background remains indistinct and atmospheric, focusing the viewer's attention on the woman's poised stance and the interplay of light on her dress and the parasol's fabric. Painted during a period when Bellows was increasingly exploring domestic subjects alongside his famous urban scenes and sporting events, this portrait reflects a shift toward intimacy and psychological depth. The composition balances the solidity of the figure with the fleeting quality of natural light, demonstrating the artist's ability to merge the immediacy of realism with a painterly sensitivity to atmosphere.

It stands as a significant example of Bellows' portraiture, highlighting his skill in capturing the presence of his family members within the broader context of early 20th-century American modernism.