Artwork
Portrait of a Woman
Portrait of a Woman is an oil painting by the Impressionist artist Alphonse Legros. It dates from 1875 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art.
- Inscription
- Inscribed:upper right: A. Legros / 1875
About this work
Subject & Meaning
The work depicts a single female figure, identified simply as a woman, serving as the main subject of this 1875 oil on canvas portrait by Alphonse Legros.
The work depicts a single female figure, identified simply as a woman, serving as the main subject of this 1875 oil on canvas portrait by Alphonse Legros. As a genre portrait, the painting focuses entirely on the representation of this individual without additional narrative elements or specific iconographic attributes mentioned in the available records. The subject is presented in a straightforward manner, characteristic of the artist's approach to portraiture during this period.
The National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., which currently houses the piece, classifies the depiction solely as a woman, offering no further details regarding specific symbolic meanings, allegorical roles, or the sitter's identity beyond her gender. Consequently, the work's significance lies in its formal execution as a study of a female subject rather than in any complex symbolic program or historical narrative explicitly documented in the sources.
Technique & Style
The work is an oil painting executed on canvas, measuring approximately 53.4 cm by 43.8 cm (height × width). The support is a canvas substrate, and the artist employed conventional oil pigments to render the sitter’s likeness. The portrait, classified as a 19th‑century portrait genre work, depicts a woman in a straightforward, realistic manner typical of the period.
The canvas bears the provenance of George Matthew Adams, who bequeathed it to the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., where it remains on view. No documented condition issues are noted in the catalog records.
History & Provenance
Portrait of a Woman, an oil on canvas painted by Alphonse Legros in 1875, entered the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., following a bequest from collector George Matthew Adams, who owned the work in New York. Adams acquired the piece in the early 20th century and left it to the museum in 1963, making it part of the gallery’s permanent collection. The work remains on view in the American and European paintings wing, where it is catalogued as a portrait of an unidentified woman.
The Portrait of a Woman by Alphonse Legros is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C. The work entered the museum's holdings in 1963 through the bequest of George Matthew Adams, a New York collector who originally acquired the painting in 1878. While the specific inventory or accession number is not provided in the available records, the provenance chain is clearly documented from Adams to the National Gallery. The provided sources do not contain information regarding specific exhibitions in which this portrait has appeared, limiting the available data to its current institutional location and acquisition history.
Context
Alphonse Legros's Portrait of a Woman (1875), an oil on canvas measuring 53.4 × 43.8 cm, is catalogued as a portrait in both the artist’s corpus and the National Gallery of Art’s records. The painting entered the museum in 1963 through the bequest of collector George Matthew Adams, underscoring its acceptance into a major American institution. Its depiction of a solitary female sitter aligns with Legros’s frequent exploration of realistic portraiture, situating the work within his broader output of figurative studies.
Scholarship on Legros often treats this piece as representative of his transitional phase between French academic traditions and the more pragmatic American art market, reflecting the artist’s cross‑cultural influence.
Overview
Alphonse Legros, a French artist who later established himself in Britain, completed Portrait of a Woman in 1875. This oil on canvas exemplifies his commitment to the Realist tradition. The painting presents a single female subject, rendered with a directness characteristic of Legros's approach to portraiture.
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Artist & collection
Artist
Alphonse Legros (French pronunciation:; 8 May 1837 – 8 December 1911) was a French, later British, painter, etcher, sculptor, and medallist.
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