(Florence 1856–1925 London)
Portrait of an Old Lady, monogrammed, inscribed to my friend... J. S. S, oil on canvas, 45.5 x 38 cm, framed, (GG)

Provenance:
Josephine Naglee Wallace (1850–1923), Philadelphia;
by descent to the present owner;
European private collection.

We are grateful to the John Singer Sargent Catalogue Raisonné Committee for confirming the authenticity of the work on the basis of the original. This work will be included in a supplement to Volume IX of the John Singer Sargent catalogue raisonné.

Sargent was enormously popular amongst members of the highest social circles. He was in demand as an artist and established himself as one of the foremost painters on both sides of the Atlantic.
He received numerous commissions from clients in both America and Great Britain.
He learnt the qualities that made him a leading international portrait painter in Paris under Carolus-Duran (1837–1917) who taught him the need to paint exactly what he saw.
The present lot is executed with an extremely free style and was therefore probably painted quickly and from life. It corresponds to a group of somber female portraits that Sargent executed in the 1880s.
This intimate portrait depicts an old woman in profile, her eyes only partly visible. The face is boldly painted, portraying both old age and the wisdom that comes with it. The artist created a contrast of light and dark against a simple background.
The identity of the sitter is not known. She is depicted in a coat and wearing a striking black bonnet.

Following the death of Joseph Naglee (born in 1819) in 1890, the present lot was given to his daughter Josephine Naglee Wallace (1850–1923) by American friends, sometime between 1890 and 1907. The painting has subsequently passed through the family to the present owner.
The Naglee family was one of Philadelphia’s oldest and most respected, having arrived in America with the Pilgrim Fathers. Members of the family held important positions and included General Henry Morris Naglee (1815–1886) who distinguished himself during the American Civil War as Commander of the First Brigade, Casey’s Division, Army of the Potomac. After the war he was awarded a medal which is reproduced in this catalogue: “To Gen.H.Naglee, a token of admiration and respect for his gallant services”. The medal belongs to the current owner of the present lot.

Additional picture
General Henry Morris Naglee’s Medal, private collection