PAULINE DOHN RUDOLPH (1865-1934) Portrait of a Young Woman in Chinese Dress, circa 1901 Oil on canvas, from G. Rowney & Co. in London. On the back, on the stretcher, handwritten label numbered 4025, another numbered 9777. On the frame, label partially torn and completed by hand: London agents / Ref. nºE165 / ... ELLEN, and handwritten inscriptions in white chalk: (9777) / Maas [or Haas] / (4) Height 36 cm - Width 23 cm This charming painting is a modello or ricordo of one of Pauline Dohn Rudolph's most famous compositions. It is a particularly important work for our knowledge of this pioneering American artist. Pauline Dohn Rudolph was a leading Chicago painter of the late 19th century. After studying with Thomas Eakins (1844-1916) and Thomas Anshutz (1851-1912) at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, she went on to study in Paris at the Académie Julian, where she took classes with painters Gustave Boulanger (1824-1888), Jules-Joseph Lefebvre (1836-1911) and Gustave Courtois (1852-1923). She also studied under Luc-Olivier Merson (1846-1920) and landscape artist Charles Lasar (1856-1936). She went on to enjoy a prolific and highly acclaimed career, punctuated by prestigious awards such as the Charles Tyson Yerkes Prize in 1895. In addition to her artistic talent, she played a leading role in the recognition of women artists as the first treasurer of the Bohemian Art Club, which later became the Palette Club, an all-women's association promoting women's artistic production. She also passed on her knowledge by teaching for twelve years at the Art Institute of Chicago. In 1901, the year of this painting, she married businessman Franklin Rudolph and gradually withdrew from the art world to devote herself to her family and civic projects. The large oil on canvas Portrait of a Young Woman in Chinese Dress related to our painting is today housed in one of the finest pieces in the collection of the Winnetka Historical Society near Chicago. The Chinese dress that gives the portrait its name was rescued from a fire in China during the Boxer Rebellion, before being brought back to Chicago by a young woman Pauline knew. Although the identity of the sitter is not clear, the artist's family, notably her grandson Charles Rudolph, is convinced that it is Mary Dohn, Pauline's younger sister. As the latter died in Paris in 1925, this explains the presence of our painting in France. This painting is one of Pauline Dohn Rudolph's final works, illustrating the culmination of her artistic career, her poetic, silent approach and a perfect testimony to her talent.