Margaret Louisa Vanderbilt, Mrs. Elliott Fitch Shepard

In the hands of a lesser artist, the sitter in this portrait, New York socialite Margaret Louisa Vanderbilt Shepard, might have been overwhelmed by the extravagant dress she wears, which rivets the viewer’s attention with its vivid red color and voluminous folds. John Singer Sargent, however, effortlessly balances Mrs. Shepard’s fashion with her personality, displaying the calmness, dignity and charm of this modest mother of six. Such assured handling, sensitivity and brilliant technique made Sargent a sought-after portraitist in late nineteenth- and early-twentieth century Europe and America.

Born in Italy to expatriate American parents and raised abroad, Sargent became an international artistic celebrity. Although acclaimed for portraits like this, he was equally adept at landscape and subject pictures, both in oil and in watercolor.