NOTES
A woman wears a slim-fitting gown with the suggestion of embroidery on the bodice. Her dress, coupled with her plumed headwear, identifies her as a woman of high fashion and wealth. Giovanni Boldini’s work was synonymous with society portraiture both in Paris, where he spent most of his career, and internationally. The decisive lines that shape the figure’s body, clothes, and setting lend an abstracted energy to this depiction. Boldini painted using a similar approach, creating a style that appealed to elegant patrons.
The woman’s body is subtly evident beneath her clothes in this drawing. Such portraits circulated as evaluations of a woman’s position in society, based on her appearance and clothing, as determined by the expectations of the male gaze.
