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The Princess and the Frog

Mary Shepard Greene Blumenschein

American Art

In this painting prepared for the 1909 Paris Salon, Mary Shepard Greene Blumenschein, who lived and studied in Paris for over a decade, portrayed a scene from the Grimm’s fairy tale The Frog Prince. The playfully decorative composition presents both the narrative moment when the frog (who will turn into a prince) confronts the princess and the casually erotic form of a young woman. Nearly the entire composition is given over to the curled figure of the princess and her rich draperies.

The painting remains in its original frame. With its triple molding, abstracted fold forms, and Roman bronze finish, the frame complements the fantasy elements in the image.
MEDIUM Oil on panel
DATES 1909
DIMENSIONS 25 1/4 x 31 7/8 in. (64.1 x 81 cm) frame: 32 3/4 x 39 1/2 x 3 in. (83.2 x 100.3 x 7.6 cm)  (show scale)
SIGNATURE Signed lower right: "Mary Greene--Blumenschein / Paris. 1909"
COLLECTIONS American Art
ACCESSION NUMBER 18.44
CREDIT LINE Gift of the Brooklyn Women's Club in memory of Mrs. Mary I. Greene
MUSEUM LOCATION This item is not on view
CAPTION Mary Shepard Greene Blumenschein (American, 1869-1958). The Princess and the Frog, 1909. Oil on panel, 25 1/4 x 31 7/8 in. (64.1 x 81 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Gift of the Brooklyn Women's Club in memory of Mrs. Mary I. Greene, 18.44 (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 18.44_framed_SL1.jpg)
IMAGE overall, 18.44_framed_SL1.jpg. Brooklyn Museum photograph
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