Portrait of a Child Sewing

Traditionally identified as one of the Boston artist's daughters, the young sitter in this figure painting works intently on a small piece of blue cloth, perhaps a garment for the doll that lies on her lap, its vacant eyes facing outward. Benson's three daughters often served as his models; they usually appear clothed in blazing white dresses, engaged in some sort of domestic activity. In the 1890s, he had been experimenting with a freer paint application. The results are evident in the thick impasto of the dress with its multicolored shadowed areas.