A Spanish Girl (Portrait of Mrs. Chase in Spanish Dress) 

William Merritt Chase, an American artist, painted this portrait of Mrs. Chase in what he imagined was Spanish dress, using oil on canvas. Chase painted during a period when European art and culture had a strong hold on the American imagination. His choice to paint his wife in ‘Spanish’ attire reflects the orientalism that was fashionable at the time. The costume and pose hint at an exotic and romanticized vision of Spain, rather than a realistic portrayal. The fan, the shawl, and the ruffled dress all contribute to this theatrical representation. Chase, who trained at the Munich Academy, was invested in elevating American art to the level of the European academy. To truly understand this piece, we can research the influence of European academies on American art in the late 19th century. The painting also encourages us to question how artists construct and perpetuate cultural stereotypes, which could be supplemented by research into costume and theatre history. By engaging with these resources, we recognize the important role of context in interpreting the meaning of art.