Artwork
Self Portrait
Self Portrait is an oil painting by the American Impressionist artist Ellen Day Hale. It dates from 1893 and is held in the collection of the Museum of Fine Arts Boston.
About this work
Subject & Meaning
As a genre work, its primary meaning lies in the act of self-representation, capturing the artist's image in 1885.
The work is a self-portrait depicting the artist Ellen Day Hale, who appears as the sole subject. Painted in oil on canvas, the piece presents a direct representation of the woman herself, establishing her identity as both the creator and the figure portrayed. The imagery focuses on the artist's physical likeness without additional allegorical figures or complex symbolic narratives evident in the available documentation.
As a genre work, its primary meaning lies in the act of self-representation, capturing the artist's image in 1885.
Technique & Style
Ellen Day Hale's Self Portrait is an oil painting executed on canvas, classified as a portrait and dated 1885. The work measures 72.39 cm in height by 99.06 cm in width, with its horizontal orientation reflecting the broader compositional choices Hale made in the piece.
The painting is held in the collection of the Museum of Fine Arts Boston, where it is catalogued as a self-portrait depicting the artist herself as a woman.
History & Provenance
Ellen Day Hale's 1885 oil painting Self Portrait is held in the collection of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. The work depicts the artist and is executed in oil on canvas, measuring 72.39 cm in height and 99.06 cm in width. While the specific inventory or accession number is not provided in the available records, the museum confirms the piece as part of its permanent holdings. No exhibition history or specific loan records are detailed in the current source material.
Overview
Ellen Day Hale’s Self Portrait (1893) is an oil on canvas that presents the artist in a composed, formal pose. The work measures roughly a modest size and is part of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston’s collection. It offers a direct yet restrained glimpse of Hale’s self‑representation during the late nineteenth century.
Context
Created during a period when women were gaining greater access to formal art education, the work aligns with Hale’s broader career as an impressionist painter and printmaker active in Boston and Europe. The portrait’s restrained elegance mirrors contemporary expectations for women artists to present themselves with modest professionalism in a male‑dominated field.
Artist & collection
Artist
Ellen Day Hale (February 11, 1855 – February 11, 1940) was an American Impressionist painter and printmaker from Boston.
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