The Victorian Chair

This delightful piece can be found at the Smithsonian American Art Museum in the USA. The Victorian Chair was completed in 1906, at which point the artist was still developing his reputation all across the country.

This portrait features a young woman relaxing on a highly decorative chair. She wears a white dress with floral patterns and a modest amount of jewellery. Her hair is up, with strong pleats keeping it smart and manageable. Her makeup is also lightly done, which was in keeping for this period where modesty was considered a great quality, particularly for middle and upper class women. The model leans back on one side of the chair, revealing more details of its design. Red petalled flowers decorate the large back of the chair and it appears to have been designed with style as much in mind as comfort. It is interesting that Hassam chose to name the piece after the chair, rather than the model which can certainly be considered unusual. The Victorian Chair is an excellent artwork and typical of the period, but does not feel entirely what one might expect from Childe Hassam, who is more famous for landscapes and cityscapes.

It is quite possible that this artwork was a commissioned portrait, with perhaps with young lady being from a wealthy family who wanted to capture this moment in her life. It may also just be an example of Hassam experimenting with a fairly traditional artistic genre, and continuing to display the versatility that he had as an artist. The model herself sits with her hands on her lap, and stares away from us. The detail is comprehensive, but not quite as precise as one might find in other styles, suc as realism. The soft touch of this artist perhaps entirely suits the content of this painting and it can be said to be a well executed artwork which is well worth seeing in its current location at the Smithsonian American Art Museum.

This is an important addition to the artist's oeuvre, because of the scarcity of traditional portrait formats such as this within his career. We can understand how he had developed into a very knowledgeable artist by the late 19th century, even though he had bypassed many of the normal routes of training. Hassam was able to work across different genres, often from one painting to the next, and was continuing to widen his scope at this point in his career. By the end, he would amass several thousand artworks, all of an impressively high standard which helped him to become known as one of the most famous American artists of all time.