Girl with a Hand Mirror

Paxton was an important member of the Boston School of painting which also included Frank W. Benson and Edmund C. Tarbell. The Boston School flourished during the first quarter of the twentieth century. Paxton’s reputation rested with his remarkable portraits of elegant, sometimes exotic women, set in opulent interiors of which this is an outstanding example. The woman’s silk kimono and the suggestion of painted Japanese screen are enriched by peach, salmon, and coral hues that echo the artist’s delicate rendering of the model’s flesh. The artist’s work was characterized, above all, by his exploration of color, texture, and light.