She resolutely took a book
Date1900
Artist
Albert Edward Sterner
(American painter, printmaker, and illustrator 1863–1946)
Illustration Citation"Eleanor" by Mrs. Humphry Ward, in Harper's Monthly Magazine, November 1900
MediumCrayon and ink on illustration board
Dimensionscomposition: 23 9/16 × 15 in. (59.8 × 38.1 cm)
sheet: 24 9/16 × 15 7/8 in. (62.4 × 40.3 cm)
sheet: 24 9/16 × 15 7/8 in. (62.4 × 40.3 cm)
Credit LineGift of Helen Farr Sloan, 1978
Object number1978-31
On View
Not on viewClassificationsDRAWING
Label TextIn this illustration, a young woman in the Italian countryside tries to concentrate on her reading instead of on her life's romantic complications. Her preoccupied expression recalls that Albert Sterner was recognized for his ability to capture emotions; one critic described him as “a keen observer of character.” The same review included 39 of Sterner’s sketches of heads, each one showing different features and personalities.Despite her preoccupation, the subject keeps her elaborate hat in place. At the turn of the 20th century, women's clothing was becoming more simplified, but hats laden with flowers and feathers remained
Albert Sterner's long sweeping pen and brush strokes make it seem as if a breeze is across the grassy landscape. The two bucolic figures in landscape at left, suggestive of classical Italian painting (Sterner was trained primarily in Europe ).
Born in London,Sterner received his art training at the Birmingham (England) Art Institute before settling in Chicago around 1880, gaining work as a commercial lithographer and stage set painter. Within five years, he had his own studio in New York City and was working as an illustrator for several popular magazines. He later undertook further study in Paris and taught at the Art Students League in New York.
