Charlotte Cram

John Singer Sargent painted seven-year-old Charlotte Cram in his London studio. She sits in an oversized chair with the unaffected charm of youth. The sparkle in her brown eyes, barely restrained smile, tilt of her head, and frank gaze are endearing without excessive sentimentality. Sargent perfectly captured her twisted pose and interlaced fingers, as she presses them into the wooden arm of the chair trying her very best not to squirm. Charlotte’s white taffeta dress and oversized yellow sash and bow reveal the artist’s confident ability. Sargent, one of the foremost portraitists in American art, knew exactly where to place his dramatic brushstrokes to translate the essence of a bow or ribbon or hand into paint. His exceptional technique and aesthetic sensibility were equally matched by his innate grasp of his subject’s genuine emotions.