Cleveland Museum of Art

An Art Student of Paris

Martha S. Baker

Date

1899

Medium

watercolor on ivorine

Culture

America

Department

American Painting and Sculpture

Institution

Cleveland Museum of Art

The sitter’s identity is unknown, but she was likely a student of Martha Baker, who was living and teaching in Paris in 1899. Demand for Baker’s portrait miniatures was so great that she resigned from teaching to keep up with commissions. The artist’s obituary in the New York Times stated that she was “the world’s foremost miniature painter.” In this example, the sitter’s shoulders seem to fade into the pale background, emphasizing the similarity between her skin and the material upon which her likeness is painted. While portrait miniatures were usually executed on ivory, this example is painted on “ivorine,” an early plastic.

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