Description:

Harriett Fitzgerald
New York, (1904-1984)
Young Woman with Baby, 1932
oil on canvas
Harriet Fitzgerald learned the painter's craft in Virginia, New York and Europe before returning home to paint during the time of the Great Depression. As a 20th c. female humanist painter, she focused on people in a direct, straight-forward and truth-seeking fashion. Her work is mostly about individuals, often women and children; and she saw art as a manifestation of their daily lives and of their feelings and expressions. As a female she had access to all kinds of models including nannies, brides, working women, housewives, and children. A well-known university scholarship has been set up in Fitzgerald's name, awarded annually to a female art student at a women's college.

This painting, _Young Woman with Baby_, is a portrait of an infant boy presumably being held by his mother. Wearing some makeup and sporting finely coiffed hair, his mother watches him closely, looking straight down on him and gently holding him still on her lap as he turns toward the viewer while wiggling around. She wears a blue dress with a crisp white collar and sleeves while the boy wears a fancy white baby outfit and matching shoes. It is not surprising that the mother looks somber and serious; the portrait is signed and dated '1932' so it was created in the midst of the Great Depression. The pastel tonalities of the walls help create an atmosphere of peace and relaxation, and although the painting contains no particular religious attributes, any painting of a young mother holding her infant son is of course an indirect reference to many thousands of paintings of Mary and Baby Jesus.

signed and dated lower left, framed.

Provenance: Estate of Raymond Keith Kissee

  • Dimensions: 38 x 34 inches
  • Medium: oil on canvas

Accepted Forms of Payment:

American Express, Discover, MasterCard, Visa

Shipping

We do not maintain an in-house shipping department, After payment is received you will be contacted by a third party shipper with a shipping quote within 72 hours.

September 16, 2023 10:00 AM CDT
St. Louis, MO, US

Link Auction Galleries

You agree to pay a buyer's premium of 25% and any applicable taxes and shipping.

View full terms and conditions

Bid Increments
From: To: Increments:
$0 $499 $25
$500 $999 $50
$1,000 $1,999 $100
$2,000 $4,999 $250
$5,000 $9,999 $500
$10,000 $19,999 $1,000
$20,000 $49,999 $2,500
$50,000 $99,999 $5,000
$100,000 + $10,000