Woman in Profile

Minerva Josephine Chapman

Brooklyn Museum photograph

Object Label

Minerva Chapman crafted this bravura portrait of an unidentified woman (possibly a self-portrait) with an intuitive understanding of the properties of the powdery charcoal medium applied to textured paper. She modeled forms tonally through sfumato, or smoky effects, reserving blank areas of paper for highlights. By turning the woman’s face away from the viewer, Chapman conveyed a sense of her privacy and inner life rather than revealing her personality, as in a conventional portrait.

Caption

Minerva Josephine Chapman (American, 1858–1947). Woman in Profile, n.d.. Charcoal on cream, medium-weight, moderately textured laid paper with two watermarks, Sheet: 22 1/8 x 16 3/4 in. (56.2 x 42.5 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Morse G. Dial, Jr., 77.272. © artist or artist's estate. (Photo: Brooklyn Museum)

Gallery

Not on view

Collection

American Art

Title

Woman in Profile

Date

n.d.

Medium

Charcoal on cream, medium-weight, moderately textured laid paper with two watermarks

Classification

Drawing

Dimensions

Sheet: 22 1/8 x 16 3/4 in. (56.2 x 42.5 cm)

Signatures

Unsigned

Credit Line

Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Morse G. Dial, Jr.

Accession Number

77.272

Rights

© artist or artist's estate

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