Artist Lydia Field Emmet (1866 - 1952)

Susan Vanderpoel Ord

Datec. 1932

Object numberN0014.2010

Credit LineCollection of the Fenimore Art Museum. Gift of Thomas and Alexander Tredwell on Behalf of Bessboro Farm

Photograph by Richard Walker

Label TextLydia Field Emmet attended the Académie Julian in Paris in 1884-1885 alongside her sister, Rosina Emmet Sherwood (1854-1948). Their family had suffered severe economic setbacks in the aftermath of the Civil War but were able to afford to send the sisters abroad due to inheritance from their cousin. Unsatisfied with their education at the Académie Julian, Emmet and her sister joined a summer colony of American Artists in Giverny, France. The colony, including artists Theodore Robinson (1852-1896) and John Leslie Breck (1859-1899) stayed at Hotel Baudy, near the home of Claude Monet (1840-1926). Upon her return to the United States, Emmet studied under William Merritt Chase (1849-1916) and became a member of the National Academy of Design.

Most known for her portraits of children, Emmet preferred to paint adult sitters, as she did not consider child portraits to be especially challenging work. Here she depicts Susan Vanderpoel Ord (1090-1994) a member of the New York elite. The loose brushstrokes used to capture the draping of Ord’s dress, the reflection of her arm on the table, as well as the Japanese inspired wallpaper she poses in front of show the influence of Chase in her painting style.

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