Strapless

by Deborah Davis

  59 “In Saint-Malo-Paramé”: Perdican, “Courrier de Paris,” L’Illustration, August 11, 1883, p. 83.

  59 “could not help stalking her”: Edward Simmons, From Seven to Seventy: Memoirs of a Painter and a Yankee (New York: Harper & Brothers, 1922), p. 127.

  THE PUPIL

  62 “I learnt my trade”: Quoted in John Milner, The Studios of Paris (New Haven, CT: Yale University Press, 1988), p. 18.

  65 “a Parisian woman never”: Ibid., p. 45.

  65 au premier coup: Richard Ormond and Elaine Kilmurray, John Singer Sargent: The Early Portraits (New Haven, CT, and London: Yale University Press, 1998), p. 2.

  65 then racing forward: Evan Charteris, John Sargent (New York: Charles Scribner’s Sons, 1927), p. 28.

  66 “En art, tout”: Ibid.

  68 family members believed: Stanley Olson, John Singer Sargent: His Portrait (New York: St. Martin’s, 1986), p. 6.

  69 He wrote that Mary: F. W. [Fitzwilliam] Sargent Papers, 1820-1889, Reel D317. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.

  70 “the land of rocks”: Quoted in Charteris, John Sargent, p. 22.

  71 “makes me shake myself”: Quoted in Olson, John Singer Sargent, p. 46.

  71 “one of the most talented”: Quoted in Marc Simpson, Uncanny Spectacle: The Public Career of the Young John Singer Sargent (New Haven, CT: Yale University Press, and Williamstown, MA: Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute, 1997), p. 7.

  72 “We cleared the studio”: Quoted in Charteris, John Sargent, p. 37.

  A SMASHING START

  78 “the artist is engaged”: Lorne Campbell, “Portraiture,” The Grove Dictionary of Art (online), ed. Laura Macy. www.groveart.com.

  79 “increased sense of life and personality”: George T. M. Shackelford and Mary Tavener Holmes, A Magic Mirror: The Portrait in France, 1700-1900 (Houston: The Museum of Fine Arts, 1986), p. 9.

  80 The biographer Stanley Olson: Olson, John Singer Sargent, p. 57.

  81 The next time his name: Ibid.

  81 Emily told Vernon Lee: Carter Ratcliff, John Singer Sargent (New York: Abbeville, 1982), p. 41.

  82 It could hold up to seven thousand: Lois Marie Fink, American Art at the Nineteenth-Century Paris Salons (Cambridge, England: Cambridge University Press, and Washington, DC: Smithsonian Institution, 1990), p. 119.

  83 Many artists were condemned: Milner, The Studios of Paris, p. 51.

  83 Edward Simmons, the American: Simmons, From Seven to Seventy, p. 127.

  84 “Later on came Mme. [Gautreau]”: “The Paris Salon and the American Exhibits,” The New York Herald, May 1, 1890.

  84 Gyp, a satirist: Milner, The Studios of Paris, p. 53.

  85 “To my uneducated eye”: F. W. [Fitzwilliam] Sargent Papers, Reel D317. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.

  85 “un charmant portrait”: Henri Houssaye, Revue des Deux Mondes, 1877, quoted in Ormond and Kilmurray, John Singer Sargent, p. 42.

  88 “one of the best portraits of the Salon”: Outremer, “American Painters of the Salon of 1879,” Aldine, 9, no. 12 (1879), pp. 370-371, quoted in Simpson, Uncanny Spectacle, p. 85.

  88 “No American has ever”: Quoted in Ormond and Kilmurray, John Singer Sargent, p. 44.

  88 “cordially liked or cordially detested”: Quoted in Simpson, Uncanny Spectacle, p. 85.

  89 “exquisite,” “radiant”: Henry James, “John S. Sargent,” Harper’s New Monthly Magazine, 75, no. 449 (October 1887), p. 688, quoted in Simpson, Uncanny Spectacle, p. 94.

  89 “perfect piece of painting”: “Special Correspondence: American Artists at the Paris Salon,” Art Interchange, 4, no. 12 ( June 9, 1880), p. 100, quoted in Simpson, Uncanny Spectacle, p. 94.

  92 “denying himself the true purpose”: Anton Kamp, “Recollections of John Singer Sargent,” Reel 5002, p. 19. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.

  92 as one model recalled: Ibid., p. 6.

  93 “If he didn’t play”: Quoted in Charles Merrill Mount, John Singer Sargent (New York: W. W. Norton, 1955), p. 132.

  93 His friend Eliza Wedgwood: Eliza Wedgwood, “Memoir of John S. Sargent” (unpublished).

  94 “Beware this people that grow”: Perdican, “Courrier de Paris,” L’Illustration, June 18, 1881, p. 412, quoted in Simpson, Uncanny Spectacle, p. 42.

  95 “we will have to respond”: Le Monde Illustré, May 31, 1884, p. 339.

  96 Some acquaintances even suggested: Olson, John Singer Sargent, p. 88.

  97 Their unpleasant conversation: Ibid., p. 90.

  BRILLIANT CREATURES

  100 At some time, his father: Claude Vanderpooten, Samuel Pozzi: Chirurgien et Ami des Femmes (Paris: Éditions In Fine, 1992), p. 21.

  103 Bernhardt wittily commemorated: Ibid., p 73.

  106 The doctor assured: Olson, John Singer Sargent, p. 101.

  107 “Dear and extremely rare friend”: Montesquiou Papers, NAF 15038F.100. Bibliothèque Nationale de France.

  107 “I like to be loved”: Letter to Augustine Bulteau, Bulteau Papers. Bibliothèque Nationale de France.

  109 “a very brilliant creature”: Sargent to Henry James, June 25, 1885, Houghton Library, Harvard University, quoted in Ormond and Kilmurray, John Singer Sargent, p. 54.

  HEAT AND LIGHT

  113 They addressed each other as: Vanderpooten, Samuel Pozzi, pp. 145-147.

  114 “as beautiful as a bad angel”: Joanna Richardson, Judith Gautier: A Biography (New York: Franklin Watts, 1987), p. 30.

  114 His poetry: Ibid.

  115 “it is enough”: Quoted ibid., p. 141.

  117 “The public is requested”: Quoted in Cornelia Otis Skinner, Elegant Wits and Grand Horizontals (Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1962), p. 21.

  118 “I have worshipped you”: Oscar Wilde, The Picture of Dorian Gray (N.p.: Creation Books, 2000), p. 10.

  118 Wilde felt no compunction: Albert Boime, “Sargent in Paris and London: A Portrait of the Artist as Dorian Gray,” in Patricia Hills, John Singer Sargent (New York: Harry N. Abrams, 1986), p. 77.

  120 Belleroche, enchanted: Dorothy Moss, “Sargent, Madame X, and ‘Baby Milbank,’” The Burlington Magazine, May 2001, p. 273.

  120 Still a young woman: William Belleroche, Brangwyn’s Pilgrimage (London: Chapman & Hall, 1948), p. 203.

  120 Belleroche suggested Sargent: Ormond and Kilmurray, John Singer Sargent, p. 99.

  121 The two artists kept up: Moss, “Sargent, Madame X, and ‘Baby Milbank,’” p. 273.

  121 “Sargent’s portraits of Belleroche”: Ibid., p. 274.

  122 “one of the most original”: Quoted in Simpson, Uncanny Spectacle, p. 53.

  HIS MASTERPIECE

  124 Critics were so hostile that: www.pbs.org/wgbh/cultureshock/flashpoints/visualarts/olympia_a.html.

  125 “uncanny spectacle”: James, “John S. Sargent,” p. 684, quoted in Simpson, Uncanny Spectacle, p. 159.

  125 “I have a great desire”: Charteris, John Sargent, p. 59.

  126 Madame Allouard-Jouan, a translator: Ormond and Kilmurray, John Singer Sargent, p. 62.

  126 “Whether he liked it”: Quoted in John Milner, The Studios of Paris (New Haven, CT: Yale University Press, 1988), p. 181.

  126 “Do you object to people”: Quoted in Charteris, John Sargent, p. 59.

  127 He always exercised: Elizabeth Oustinoff, interview with the author, June 13, 2002.

  127 The dress’s designer: “La Belle Américaine.”

  128 On the other, anyone: Anne Hollander, Seeing Through Clothes (Berkeley: University of California Press, 1993), p. 377.

  128 black was coming to be seen: Ibid., p. 376.

  133 “the unpaintable beauty”: Quoted in Charteris, John Sargent, p. 59.

  133 “Dear Baby”: Quoted in Moss, “Sargent, Madame X, and ‘Baby Milbank,’” p. 273.

  134 The city was crowded: Ratcliff, John Singer Sargent, p. 83.

  134 But a recent theory: Ormond and Kilmurray, John Singer Sargent, p. 98.

 
136 “woman in a man”: Moss, “Sargent, Madame X, and ‘Baby Milbank,’” p. 269.

  THE FLYING DUTCHMAN

  138 This particular shade of gray: Jacqueline Ridge and Joyce H. Townsend, “How Sargent Made It Look Easy,” American Artist, 63, no. 685 (August 1999). firstsearch@oclc.org.

  138 He knew that this combination: Ibid.

  139 He tried his usual approach: Ibid.

  139 “Mr. Sargent a fait”: Letter courtesy Adelson Galleries, Inc.

  140 Sargent titled the drawing: Elaine Kilmurray, interview with the author, June 13, 2002.

  141 Robert de Montesquiou called it: Richardson, Judith Gautier, p. 126.

  142 Le Pré des Oiseaux became her home: Ibid.

  142 “nun of art”: Anita Brookner, Soundings (London: Harvill, 1997), pp. 171-177.

  143 Charles Mount, a lively: The speculations cited here are from Charles Merrill Mount, “John Singer Sargent and Judith Gautier,” The Arts Quarterly, Summer 1955, p. 138.

  145 in a letter to Madame Allouard-Jouan: Sargent to Madame Allouard-Jouan, n.d. Letter courtesy Adelson Galleries, Inc.

  145 “The summer is definitely over”: Letter courtesy Adelson Galleries, Inc.

  FINISHING TOUCHES

  150 “The only Franco-American”: Quoted in Olson, John Singer Sargent, p. 106.

  151 he only “half-liked it”: Henry James: A Life in Letters, ed. Leon Edel (Cambridge, MA: The Belknap Press of Harvard University Press, 1980), vol. 3, p. 43.

  152 “as one is mesmerized”: Olson, John Singer Sargent, p. 106.

  152 “One day I was dissatisfied”: Quoted in Charteris, John Sargent, p. 60.

  153 “three ugly young women,” “dingy hole”: Quoted in Ormond and Kilmurray, John Singer Sargent, p. 131.

  154 “would be even more admired”: Perdican, “Courrier de Paris,” L’Illustration, March 22, 1884, p. 182.

  DANCING ON A VOLCANO

  156 “To-morrow is varnishing day”: Marie Bashkirtseff: The Journal of a Young Artist, trans. Mary J. Serrano (New York: E. P. Dutton, 1919), p. 105.

  157 Restaurants even opened: Paris Notes, March 2001.

  158 The 1880s brought: Roger Price, A Social History of Nineteenth-Century France (London: Hutchinson, 1987), p. 52.

  159 Tabloid newspapers: Vanessa R. Schwartz, Spectacular Realities (Berkeley: University of California Press, 1998), p. 39.

  159 In 1869, the crimes of Jean-Baptiste Troppmann: http://www.iht.com/IHT/MB/00/mb022600.html.

  159 It was located directly across: Charles Rearick, Pleasures of the Belle Epoque (New Haven, CT: Yale University Press, 1985), p. 84.

  160 “true spectacle,” “living newspaper”: Quoted in Schwartz, Spectacular Realities, p. 108.

  160 “reproduction loyal to nature”: Schwartz, Spectacular Realities, p. 119.

  160 Some of the displays: Ibid., p. 130.

  161 The most popular corpses: Ibid., p. 76.

  162 The jury would have preferred: Ormond and Kilmurray, John Singer Sargent, p. 7.

  162 “It would be difficult”: L’Événement, May 2, 1884.

  163 Ralph Curtis, Sargent’s companion: Curtis wrote a letter to his parents, detailing his and Sargent’s experiences on Varnishing Day. I have used his eyewitness report as the basis for my account. The complete text of the letter can be found in Charteris, John Sargent, p. 61.

  163 “remarkable,” “of rare distinction”: Louis Fourcaud, Le Gaulois, April 30, 1884. 165 In his annotations: An annotated copy of F.-G. Dumas, Catalogue Illustré du Salon (Paris: Librairie d’Art Ludovic Baschet, 1884). Observations regarding various Salon paintings can be found in this catalogue.

  165 “the foremost painter”: Armand Dayot, Salon de 1884 (Paris: Librairie d’Art Ludovic Baschet, 1884), p. 22.

  168 Marie Bashkirtseff dismissed: The Last Confessions of Marie Bashkirtseff and Her Correspondence with Guy de Maupassant, ed. Jeannette L. Gilder (New York: Frederick A. Stokes, 1901), p. 86. 168 The nude had been: David Rogers, “Nudes,” The Grove Dictionary of Art (online), ed. Laura Macy. www.groveart.com.

  169 In The Nude: Kenneth Clark, The Nude (New York: Pantheon, 1956), p. 3.

  172 “As for the model, slumped in a corner”: Madeleine Zillhardt Louise-Catherine Breslau et Ses Amis (Paris: Éditions des Portiques, 1932), p. 91.

  172 “The beautiful Mme——”: The Last Confessions, p. 87.

  173 an avalanche: L’Événement, May 2, 1884.

  LE SCANDALE

  177 “Mr. Sargent made a mistake”: L’Événement, May 1, 1884.

  177 Louis de Fourcaud . . . “Detestable!”: Charteris, John Sargent, p. 63.

  178 “The profile is pointed”: Henri Houssaye, Revue des Deux Mondes, 63, no. 3 ( June 4, 1884), quoted in Ratcliff, John Singer Sargent, p. 84.

  178 “This portrait is simply”: Art Amateur, 2, no. 3 (August 1884), p. 52.

  179 “[Chaplin] is the painter”: Le Petit Journal de Paris, July 20, 1884.

  179 “A succès de scandale”: Claude Phillips, in Academy, 25, no. 632 ( June 14, 1884), quoted in Simpson, Uncanny Spectacle, p. 141.

  180 An editorial in L’Événement: “Le Fin du Salon,” L’Événement, May 8, 1884.

  180 Le Charivari ran: “Le Salon pour Rire,” Le Charivari, May 1, 1884.

  181 “Mr. Sargent has offered to let”: La Vie Parisienne, May 3, 1884. Translation by Alexandra Tallen.

  181 “They insist on pretending”: La Vie Parisienne, May 24, 1884.

  181 “Ask for the little”: La Vie Parisienne, May 17, 1884. Translation by Alexandra Tallen.

  181 A caricature showed her: Ibid.

  183 “The Beautiful Madame Gautreau to Mr. Sargent”: Le Gaulois, May 17, 1884. Translation by Alexandra Tallen.

  184 “It is better”: Le Petit Journal, May 27, 1884.

  184 “since Sargent’s portrait”: Perdican, “Courrier de Paris,” L’Illustration, May 10, 1884, p. 314.

  184 “One more struggle”: Quoted in Charteris, John Sargent, p. 62.

  184 “A painting such as this”: “Promenade au Salon,” La Nouvelle Revue, May-June 1884, p. 603.

  184 “The critics of the next generation”: André Michel, in L’Art, quoted in Ratcliff, John Singer Sargent, p. 87.

  185 Sargent’s friend Judith Gautier: Judith Gautier, in Le Rappel, quoted in Ormond and Kilmurray, John Singer Sargent, p. 114.

  CALCULATED MOVES

  189 “It will be pleasant”: Quoted in Olson, John Singer Sargent, p. 109.

  190 He contemplated changing: Olson, John Singer Sargent, p. 117.

  192 Even Vernon Lee: Quoted in Ormond and Kilmurray, John Singer Sargent, p. 132.

  193 Literature is filled: I am indebted to Stanley Olson, Warren Adelson, and Richard Ormond for their comprehensive account of Sargent’s experiences at Broadway. For more information, see their Sargent at Broadway: The Impressionist Years (New York: Universe and Coe Kerr Gallery, 1986).

  195 One day he caught sight: Mount, John Singer Sargent, p. 112.

  198 “the comtesse Zamoiska”: L’Événement, May 19, 1884.

  198 “It wasn’t the famous chains”: L ’Illustration, May 31, 1884.

  199 “very beautiful in a white satin”: “Revue Mondaine,” La Gazette Rose, June 14, 1884, pp. 286-287.

  199 “placed himself everywhere”: Le Salut, May 14, 1884.

  A WOMAN OF A CERTAIN AGE

  205 “a faithful image”: L’Art Français, July 25, 1891.

  206 There were nights: Gabriel-Louis Pringue, Portraits et Fantômes (Paris: Raoul Solar, 1951), p. 89.

  209 “To keep her figure”: Quoted in Philippe Jullian, Robert de Montesquiou: A Fin-de-Siècle Prince, trans. John Haylock and Francis King (London: Secker & Warburg, 1967), p. 70.

  209 “Venus”: Montesquiou Papers. Bibliothèque Nationale de France. Translation by Alexandra Tallen.

  211 In the new arrangement: After her death, when Amélie Gautreau’s will was translated from French into English, her final address was given incorre
ctly as “Rue de La Cour” instead of Rue de La Tour.

  212 Roger Fry, reviewing: Quoted in Trevor J. Fairbrother, “The Shock of John Singer Sargent’s ‘Madame Gautreau,’” Arts Magazine, 55 (January 1981), pp. 90-97.

  212 Amélie wrote to Sargent . . . Sargent replied: Quoted in Charteris, John Sargent, p. 64.

  214 The ultimate insult: Pringue, 30 Ans de Dîners en Ville, p. 314.

  215 During a routine visit . . . “One must never”: Ibid.

  215 Marie Virginie left her jewels: Costello, From Ternant to Parlange, p. 144.

  217 Caillaux and Favalelli testimony: Succession of Mrs. Virginie Amélie Avegno Gautreau #2571. Parish of Pointe Coupee, Louisiana, 21st Judicial District Court, October 6, 1916.

  217 They sold their property: Costello, From Ternant to Parlange, p. 146.

  A MAN OF PRODIGIOUS TALENT

  220 “We have music”: Quoted in Charteris, John Sargent, p. 78.

  221 Sargent worked and reworked: Olson, Adelson, and Ormond, Sargent at Broadway, p. 69.

  224 “purely and simply beautiful,” “the talk of all”: Quoted in Simpson, Uncanny Spectacle, p. 155.

  224 Half hoping that he would be: Olson, John Singer Sargent, p. 137.

  225 It was not unusual: http://xroads.virginia.edu/~MA01/Davis/newport/home/conspicuous.html.

  225 “Mr. J. S. Sargent of London”: Newport Journal, October 1, 1887.

  226 He wrote an article: Henry James, “John S. Sargent,” Harper’s New Monthly Magazine, 75, no. 449 (October 1887), pp. 683-692.

  229 “the gem of the collection”: Quoted in Louise Hall Tharp, Mrs. Jack (Boston: Little, Brown, 1965), p. 134.

  229 “It looks like hell”: Quoted in Olson, John Singer Sargent, p. 142.

  229 “see nearly all the way”: Quoted at Magnetic North, http://www.magnetic-north.com/cover/cov11thru20/cov_14.

  234 “I abhor and abjure them”: Quoted in Olson, John Singer Sargent, p. 227.

  235 “on account of the row”: Quoted in Mount, John Singer Sargent, pp. 328-329.