HAVEMEYER, Carlotta (Later Mrs Anson Bigelow) (1904)
Description:
Oval, bust-length, as a child, in a white dress with fancy collar, straw bonnet, with black ribbon and red (feather?) decoration. Oil on canvas, 23.1/2” x 19.1/4” (59.7 x 48.9 cms).
The gold frame, with carved upturned bow and ribbon, band roses at the top, 34.1/4” x 25.1/2” (cf. HAVEMEYER, Florence).
Location:
Private Collection, USA.
Provenance:
H. O. Havemeyer (died 1965); the sitter; her daughter Mrs. Peter Quinn [Sophie Havemeyer Bigelow], North Edgecombe, Maine (1927-2013); By descent.
Exhibition:
M. KNOEDLER & CO., 355, Fifth Avenue (corner 34th Street), New York, November 23 – December 3, 1904.
Bibliography:
Town Topics, December 1, 1904
Art Collector, April 1, 1905
The Collector and Art Critic, Vol. 3, No. 4, April 1, 1905, p. 56
Carlotta Havemeyer was born in New York on 13 December 1901, the eldest child and daughter of H.O. Havemeyer Sr (1876-1965) and Charlotte Adelaide Green Whiting Havemeyer (1880-1962). She married Anson Alexander Bigelow (1897-1958) and was killed when run down by a car in Tuxedo Park on 12 February 1952. Muller-Ury painted more portraits of Carlotta Havemeyer than any other member of the family.
A plaque on the frame says ‘Carlotta Havemeyer, aged 5 years’ but this cannot be correct.
The Collector and Art Critic, Vol. 3, No. 4, April 1, 1905, p. 56 says, ‘A recent portrait by A. Muller-Ury is “Portrait of Carlotta Havemeyer.” It is one of his most notable works, and his clever character reading has been exemplified in this instance.’
