Untitled (Portrait of a Woman)

Unknown artist

Pastel on paper

9.5 x 7.75 in.

Mori and Jacobson Collection

This pastel may be a portrait of a specific woman, but it may also be the artist’s rendition of a certain stereotype. It closely resembles the “Gibson girl” images of the late 19th-early 20th centuries. Imagined by Charles Dana Gibson (1867-1944), the “Gibson girl” represented an idealized concept of feminine beauty at the turn of the 20th century. Gibson presented her mainly in magazine illustrations and advertisements that were widely circulated at the time. She featured an hourglass figure and luxurious hair loosely drawn up to the crown of her head, and she sometimes conveyed a flirtatious temperament. Though considered a “modern” girl at the time, she did not stray far from traditional female roles.