The Emerald Lady 1891 - 1905

William Merritt Chase created 'The Emerald Lady' using oil on canvas. It's a study in color and tone, but also one that tells us something about the rapidly changing role of women in American society during the Gilded Age. Here, the woman is not bound by rigid Victorian conventions. Emerald green, then a newly fashionable color, becomes a signifier of the sitter’s modern sensibility. Chase’s loose brushwork, influenced by European modernism, lends the portrait an air of informality and immediacy. This was a departure from the formal portraiture that had previously been the norm. To truly understand this painting, one could delve into the fashion magazines of the time, explore the writings of social commentators, and examine the exhibition records of art institutions. Only then can we understand the ways in which Chase's artwork both reflected and shaped the evolving image of women in American culture.