c. 1915

The Rose Peignoir

American (active France), 1874 - 1939

In the 1890s and the early decades of the twentieth century, American artists such as Mary Cassatt, Theodore Robinson, Childe Hassam, and Frederick Frieseke were inspired by French Impressionism, and began presenting their subjects in bright sunlight, utilizing broken, staccato brushwork and vivid hues. Frieseke traveled to France as early as 1898, and later settled permanently with his family in Giverny, in close proximity to Claude Monet's garden and studio. Throughout his career, Frieseke's favorite subject matter was women at leisure, as seen in this delicate painting, which most likely depicts his wife Sarah.