A woman, wearing an extravagant dress and bonnet, stares at the viewer as she marks her place in a book.
Photo © President and Fellows of Harvard College
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Photo © President and Fellows of Harvard College

Graphite drawing of a woman staring at the viewer with a blank expression. Her extravagant clothing hides much of her figure and features amongst the considerable fabric. Dark hair, parted in the middle, peeks out from her lacy, ribboned bonnet that ties underneath her chin. Frilled collars obscure the neckline of the dress, tapering off around the shoulders where the dress’s puffy sleeves begin. A cloak or blanket lightly wraps around the woman’s arms which conceal any further details on the sleeves. Her gloved, right hand marks her place in an unknown book.

Identification and Creation

Object Number
1965.535
People
Narcisse Othon, French (Paris, France active 1839–1847)
Title
Mrs. James Arnold
Classification
Drawings
Work Type
drawing
Date
1837
Culture
French
Persistent Link
https://hvrd.art/o/296250

Physical Descriptions

Medium
Graphite on cream wove card; the surface prepared with a hard, polished white ground; highlights scratched through the graphite with a sharp tool; background shading seems to have been stumped or stippled through a circular honeycomb mesh about 1 mm. in diameter
Dimensions
14.3 x 11.4 cm (5 5/8 x 4 1/2 in.)
Inscriptions and Marks
  • Signed: graphite, l.r.: Othon. 1837

Acquisition and Rights

Credit Line
Harvard Art Museums/Fogg Museum, Gift of Misses Aimée and Rosamond Lamb
Accession Year
1965
Object Number
1965.535
Division
European and American Art
Contact
am_europeanamerican@harvard.edu
Permissions

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Publication History

  • Agnes Mongan, David to Corot: French Drawings in the Fogg Art Museum, Harvard University Press (Cambridge, MA, 1996), cat. no. 290, repr.

Exhibition History

Related Objects

Verification Level

This record has been reviewed by the curatorial staff but may be incomplete. Our records are frequently revised and enhanced. For more information please contact the Division of European and American Art at am_europeanamerican@harvard.edu