Portrait of Éva Gauthier

Wallace learned about batik through her friend Éva Gauthier (1885-1958), a Canadian American singer who performed Javanese music throughout the United States after living in Java for several years. Gauthier’s portrait is a stylized portrayal of the petite singer, whose figure floats against a floral backdrop, a sheet of music clutched between her delicate fingers. Between Gauthier’s gown, her accessories, and the swirling floral patterns, the portrait encapsulates the glitzy, extravagant era in which it was made and showcases Wallace’s skill in achieving precise linework and color in a medium that was new to her.