Mrs. Charles Anstruther-Thomson 

John Singer Sargent painted Mrs. Charles Anstruther-Thomson, in oil, sometime in the late 19th or early 20th century. Sargent was known for his portraits of wealthy individuals, and this one is a great example of his technique but also of the social milieu in which he worked. The painting depicts a woman in a dark dress, richly embroidered with golden details. She is leaning casually on a small table. This pose, the dress, and the dark background, all point to her status and wealth, but beyond this, the material of the dress is of particular interest. At the time the painting was made, Japonisme, or the influence of Japanese art and design on Western art, was all the rage. The dress in this painting, with its Japanese-inspired embroidery, is a clear reference to this trend. To understand this painting fully, we might research the history of Japonisme in Europe and the United States, the history of fashion, and the biography of the sitter, Mrs. Charles Anstruther-Thomson. By connecting it to these different contexts, we can understand the cultural and social forces that shaped its creation.