Lady In Her Boudoir 1889

Julius Leblanc Stewart painted ‘Lady In Her Boudoir’ with oil on canvas. It’s a traditional choice for a traditional subject, the upper class. Stewart has really reveled in the material possibilities here. Look at the way he captures the light filtering through the layers of her lacy dressing gown. The brushwork becomes a kind of performance, suggesting the textures and opulence of the scene. The very deliberate brushstrokes build up the image, creating an illusion of depth and tactile presence. It is not so much a photographic likeness as it is an impression of lived experience. Consider all the labor that went into producing this lifestyle. All the seamstresses who would have carefully hand-sewn the details on the gown, working to designs which would have required skilled pattern makers. The material and the making of the gown, and indeed the room around the woman, speak volumes about labor, class, and the social hierarchies of the time. Paying attention to materials, methods, and the society that produced them allows us to more deeply appreciate the artistic intention of a painting like this.