Who Was Madame X?

Today we explore the mystery behind John Singer Sargent's enigmatic "Portrait of Madame X."
Who was this mystery woman?

Why did Sargent paint her?

Why did he keep her identity a secret?



Sources:

Articles: 

https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/12127 

1884 – John Singer Sargent, Madame X (Virginie Gautreau) | Fashion History Timeline (fitnyc.edu)

Olympia, One of the Most Scandalous Paintings of the 19th Century (singulart.com)

Portrait of a Ladies’ Man: Dr Samuel-Jean Pozzi | History Today

Sidlauskas, S. (2001). Painting Skin: John Singer Sargent’s “Madame X.” American Art, 15(3), 9–33. https://doi.org/10.1086/444645

Books:

Lucey, D. M. (2018). Sargent’s Women: Four Lives Behind the Canvas (Illustrated ed.). W. W. Norton & Company.

Strapless by Deborah Davis (2004–05-03). (2021). TarcherPerigee.

Simpson, M., Sargent, J. S., Ormond, R., Weinberg, B. H., & Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute. (1997). Uncanny Spectacle: The Public Career of the Young John Singer Sargent (1st edition, paperback issue, ed.). Clark Art Inst.

Websites:

www.britannica.com 

www.metmuseum.org 

Music:
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