Portrait in White
1889 · Oil on canvas · National Gallery of Art, Washington
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About this work
- Artist
- Frank W. Benson (1862–1951)
- Year
- 1889
- Medium
- Oil on canvas
- Original size
- 122.6 × 97.2 cm
- Collection
- National Gallery of Art, Washington
- Movement
- Realism
Ellen Peirson Benson, the painter's wife, sits very upright on a cream-painted chair in a full white gown with sheer puffed sleeves, her hands folded in her lap, against a plain dark green ground. Benson painted her in 1889, a year after their marriage, and the portrait shows the restraint of his Paris training under Boulanger and Lefebvre: a single figure, a dark background and all the light gathered on the white silk. He exhibited it under the title Portrait of My Wife, and their daughter Sylvia gave it to the National Gallery of Art in 1977.
This print reproduces the whole work, uncropped, from a high-resolution scan of the original. The original is in the public domain.
Where it works
An elegant portrait in white and deep forest green for a dining room, bedroom or entrance hall in a black or dark wood frame. It pairs well with Sargent's and Beaux's portraits and suits a dark green or ivory wall.
Style, size & framing detail
- Style
- Realism painting
- Era
- 19th century (1889)
- Orientation
- Portrait
- Mood
- intimate
- Rooms
- bedroom, dining room, living room
- Good gift for
- housewarming, art lovers
Size. Prints at 12×18, 16×24 in — 12×18 for a shelf, desk or a gallery-wall grid; 16×24 above a desk, console or in a hallway.
Framing. The gallery ground is part of the print, so frame it without a mat — black suits the deep tones of this period; dark wood warms it.
Pairing. Pairs as a set of three with other famous painting prints (10% off three or more).
Details & materials
Shipping & returns
Is this the whole painting, or a crop?
Is Portrait in White in the public domain?
What is it printed on?
When was Portrait in White painted, and in what medium?
What size works above a sofa or bed?
About this design
The Madten promise
An exhibition poster
The same artwork as a gallery exhibition poster — title, artist & date typeset beneath the image on a soft ground.
