Book

Gallati, Barbara Dayer.

Great expectations : John Singer Sargent painting children / Barbara Dayer Gallati ; with contributions by Erica E. Hirshler, Richard Ormond.

Brooklyn, New York : Brooklyn Museum in association with Bulfinch Press, ©2004.

255 pages : illustrations (some color) ; 28 cm

"The title of the book makes ironic reference to Charles Dickens's famous novel Great Expectations and signals that Sargent's paintings of children are interpreted here in light of the expectations associated with childhood as it was represented in the art and literature of the late nineteenth century - a period then acknowledged as the advent of the "Century of the Child." The investigation traces how Sargent reacted to the contemporary shift in childhood's meaning and used child imagery to advance his professional standing with the public and critics. In turn, this strategy aided in removing child imagery from the grip of Victorian sentiment, elevating it to a higher level in the hierarchy of artistic subject matter." "The book includes five essays by three notable art historians, as well as a Biographical Index of Child Sitters, and is illustrated with a wide array of Sargent's works, including the earliest known oil portrait from his hand (an intimate 1875 portrait of his five-year-old sister) and some of the best-loved paintings of his career. In addition, a wealth of comparative works by his contemporaries is provided along with a selection of Sargent family photographs, some of which are published here for the first time."--Jacket.

Sargent, John Singer, 1856-1925 -- Exhibitions.

Sargent, John Singer, 1856-1925 -- Criticism and interpretation.

Children -- Portraits -- Exhibitions.

Exhibition catalogs.

Hirshler, Erica E.

Ormond, Richard.

Sargent, John Singer, 1856-1925.

Brooklyn Museum.

Chrysler Museum of Art

Portland Art Museum (Or.)

Published on the occasion of an exhibition held at Brooklyn Museum, Oct. 8, 2004-Jan. 16, 2005; Chrysler Museum of Art, Norfolk, Feb. 25-May 22, 2005; Portland Art Museum, Or., June 18-Sept. 11, 2005.

Includes bibliographical references (pages 249-250) and index.

Great expectations : an introduction to John Singer Sargent's painting of children / Barbara Dayer Gallati -- Sargent's childhood / Richard Ormond -- From souvenir to high art: childhood on display / Barbara Dayer Gallati -- "A prince in a royal line of painters": Sargent's portraits and posterity / Erica E. Hirshler -- Posing problems: Sargent's model children / Barbara Dayer Gallati.

Contributor biographical information

Publisher description

2004100934

0821261703

9780821261705

0872731499

9780872731493

0821261681

9780821261682

56537649

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759.13 Sargent