Mrs. Edward Darley Boit (Mary Louisa Cushing)
Returned to lender
This work of art was on loan to the museum and has since been returned to its lender.Edward Boit, a watercolor painter from Boston, and his wife, Mary Louisa Cushing Boit (1846–1898), were important patrons and supporters of Sargent. The daring portrait of the Boit’s four daughters, The Children of Edward Darley Boit (1882, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston), painted by Sargent in Paris, was an important landmark in his early career. When Sargent arrived in Boston for his first professional visit in 1887, the Boits hosted him at their home and immediately commissioned this portrait of Mary Louisa ("Isa") and encouraged their affluent friends to sit for the artist.
The painting startled conservative Boston, not only because of Isa’s boisterous polka dotted dress, but also for the expression on her face. Writing about the portrait, Henry James observed, "she is wonderful and of a living! But she not only speaks—she winks—and the philistine will find her vulgar."
The painting startled conservative Boston, not only because of Isa’s boisterous polka dotted dress, but also for the expression on her face. Writing about the portrait, Henry James observed, "she is wonderful and of a living! But she not only speaks—she winks—and the philistine will find her vulgar."
Artwork Details
- Title: Mrs. Edward Darley Boit (Mary Louisa Cushing)
- Artist: John Singer Sargent (American, Florence 1856–1925 London)
- Date: 1887
- Culture: American
- Medium: Oil on canvas
- Dimensions: 60 1/4 × 42 in. (153 × 106.7 cm)
- Credit Line: Lent by the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. Gift of Miss Julia Overing Boit.
- Curatorial Department: The American Wing