Object Details
Artist
Peggy Bacon, born Ridgefield, CT 1895-died Kennebunk, ME 1987
Sitter
Peggy Bacon
Peggy Bacon
Exhibition Label
To the chagrin of her struggling artist parents, Peggy Bacon moved to New York City in 1914 to pursue an artistic career. She studied painting at the Art Students League, but her primary interest was printmaking. The League offered no printmaking courses, so Bacon taught herself and became an expert in drypoint. A self-portrait, Lady Artist shows Bacon at work in a cramped apartment/studio. Immersed in her sketching (likely of the cat at her feet), she is unaware of the mouse behind her, the spider inching toward her head, and the neighbors watching from the windows of an adjacent building. Through this comical scene, Bacon pokes fun at artists, including herself, and their intense dedication to their work.
Credit Line
Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Harry Baum in memory of Edith Gregor Halpert
Date
1925
Object number
1971.313
Restrictions & Rights
Usage conditions apply
Type
Graphic Arts-Print
Medium
drypoint on paper
Dimensions
plate: 6 x 4 in. (15.3 x 10.3 cm)
See more items in
Smithsonian American Art Museum Collection
Department
Graphic Arts
Data Source
Smithsonian American Art Museum
Topic
Animal\cat
Occupation\art\artist
Portrait female\self-portrait
Portrait female\full length
Object\art object\drawing
Architecture Interior\detail\window
Architecture Interior\studio
Link to Original Record
Record ID
saam_1971.313