Portrait of a Baby

Cecelia Beaux (1855–1942)

ca. 1895–1910

Oil on canvas

Sewell C. Biggs bequest; 2004.401

Born and trained as a painter in Philadelphia, Cecelia Beaux became one of the most important portrait painters in the United States at the turn of the century. The artist found professional success shortly after completing her studies at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, but decided to study at the Académie Julian in Paris for further refinement. Beaux returned to Philadelphia and became the first permanent female instructor of painting at the Pennsylvania Academy. Portrait of a Baby may be a study the artist performed for her students’ benefit during her twenty-year tenure at the academy.