Portrait of Sadie P. Waters

Signed lower right: F. D. Millet. The Portrait of Sadie P. Waters captures the nineteen-year-old daughter of William H. Waters, a successful St. Louis industrialist, clad in a pale lavender velvet dress with floral accents and posed cleverly against a complementary golden background to give her presence full effect. Millet’s exceptional talent reveals itself in his interpretation of how the light plays against the various textures and patterns of her gown and in his rendition of her delicate, warm skin tones, which are highlighted by the single red rose held in her hands. Sadie was an artist herself, and this portrait was painted just before she left for France to pursue her studies, where she worked under Luc Olivier-Merson and excelled at miniature painting. She eventually began exploring more religious imagery and was awarded an honorable mention at the Paris Exposition Universelle in 1900, but, sadly, passed away quite unexpectedly in the same year. Millet’s portrait shows her in the prime of her youth and was highlighted by critic Marianna Van Rensselaer in her review of the National Academy’s annual exhibition in 1889: “…a delicate and refined figure of a charming maiden in a lavender gown.” This work retains its original frame. (Vose Galleries)