Collections record Beta

Oil Painting - Unidentified Woman

1922-01-0

Oil on canvas rectangular 1/4 length portrait of unidentified woman, formerly believed to be Margaret Fuller (1810-1850). Young woman turned to the right, wearing a black satin dress, off the shoulders, with white lace trim, red paisley shawl wrapped around her arms. Brown hair pulled back in bun with ringlet curls at her face, black velvet headband.

The sitter was long believed to be Margaret Fuller. On closer investigation, the portrait bears little resemblance to other known images of Fuller. Fuller was also noted as having blue eyes, and the sitter has brown eyes. She is described by Edgar Allen Poe in Godey’s Lady’s Book in 1846 as having “a profusion of lustrous light hair,” eyes “a bluish gray, full of fire,” and “a capacious forehead.”

Sarah Margaret Fuller (1810-1850) was a noted feminist, author, journalist and teacher. In 1840, she joined Ralph Waldo Emerson and George Ripley to produce and edit a quarterly journal of Transcendentalist expression, the Dial. She was the author of several books, the most notable was Woman in the Nineteenth Century, (1845). In 1844, Horace Greeley invited her to write for his newspaper, the New York Tribune. From 1844-46, Margaret lived with the Greeley's in NYC. Horace's wife was nee. Mary Young Cheney, and was born and raised in Litchfield. During a European tour, Margaret met and married, Giovanni Angelo, the Marchese D'Ossoli. The French siege on Rome in 1849, forced the couple to flee Italy. On her return voyage to America, on board the Elizabeth, the boat was lost at sea just outside of New York.

ca. 1840

Painting: 24 3/4" x 20 1/2" Frame: 30" x 25"

• oil
• canvas