Portrait of Edith Blaney

Childe Hassam

Part of the American Journey Exhibit

Photo courtesy of Macbeth Studios

Considered one of America’s leading Impressionist painters, Childe Hassam’s bright palette and textured brushstrokes are often compared to that of Monet or Pissarro. This painting shows another side of Hassam's work. Indeed, when painting portraits and interior scenes, he adopted a more subdued palette and gave more attention to the details of the subject. Mrs. Edith Blaney was the wife of Boston painter Dwight Blaney, Hassam’s friend and colleague. Mrs. Blaney holds a book by Celia Thaxter, An Island Garden, who was also a mutual friend. Thaxter owned a small resort on the Isles of Shoals, New Hampshire, which both Hassam and Blaney frequently visited.