23. Jane Bridgham Child (American, born 1868)

Beautiful Young Woman As Muse Of Epic Poetry.
Pastel on canvas, signed lower portion, dated 1904, framed.
60" x 20".

3,000/5,000     SOLD: $11,260.80

This remarkable pastel of a young woman in a long white dress is a mid-career work of Jane Bridgham Child. Born Jane Bridgham Curtis in New York City in 1868, she pursued artistic training in Paris under the American artist Julius Rolshoven (1858-1930). Rolshoven was a talented pastellist who himself trained under the well-known academic painter Bouguereau as well as Robert-Fleury. The present work exhibits Child's command of the pastel medium, particularly in the skillful rendering textures, translucence, and opacity.

The ethereal treatment of the figure recalls the efforts of PreRaphaelite artists, who sought to recapture the spiritual intensity as well as the quality handcraftsmanship of artisans of the Middle Ages. The long, tall format of this work had affinities with stained glass lancet windows, another medieval art form revived by PreRaphaelites Burne-Jones and William Morris. The figure may well represent Calliope, muse of Epic Poetry, for she wears a laurel wreath and holds a small volume.

Child was active in Washington, D.C. from 1895 through 1913 and in Boston from 1914 through 1923. The present work of 1904 dates from her years of residence in Washington.

The artist exhibited extensively both in the United States and Europe. In 1893 she exhibited at the Paris Salon, although the records list her name erroneously as Joanne Bridgeham Curtis. In 1895 she exhibited at the Atlanta Exposition where she won a bronze medal. From 1896 through 1908 Child participated in annual exhibitions at the Washington Water Color Club, and received the first Corcoran Prize in 1901, three years before she produced the present pastel. From 1898 through 1904 she was a member and officer of the Society of Washington Artists. She participated in the annual exhibitions of the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts in 1894, and from 1900 through 1903. In 1904 she exhibited at the Art Institute of Chicago.

Child was married to the painter Robert Coleman Child (American, born 1872).

We are grateful to the library staff of the National Museum of Women in the Arts, Washington, D.C. for their research assistance in cataloguing this lot.

Condition: Excellent.