By Gabriella Alexander

Faculty Mentor: Dr. Julia DeLancey

Abstract

In a prestigious annual art exhibition flooded with entries, American expatriate John Singer Sargent (1856-1925) attempted to garner attention with a painting that pushed the boundaries of traditional nineteenth-century portraiture. After a lengthy painting process throughout the summer of 1883, Sargent’s submission, entitled Madame X, was publicly unveiled at the French Salon of 1884 and the immediate reactions to the painting were overwhelmingly and strongly negative. The now-famous portrait depicts Virginie Amélie Avegno Gautreau (1859-1915), an American-born Parisian socialite known for her striking appearance. Presented on a nearly seven-foot-tall canvas, Gautreau is forthrightly grand in a black evening gown with her face turned in profile. To the modern-day viewer, Madame X may appear to be a harmless depiction of a wealthy nineteenth-century woman, but at the time of its unveiling the portrait represented a progressive example of female autonomy. Although it would seem Sargent single-handedly made the choice to paint Gautreau in a daring light, as the work was not commissioned and he held the paint brush, this paper argues that Gautreau’s choice in dress and admiration for the painting suggests that she was complicit in her unconventional portrayal. While this may be the case, the public’s treatment of the painting indicates the double standard women of elite society were subjected to in late nineteenth-century Paris.