Déshabille

Childe Hassam's ink sketch depicts a woman reclining in a chair, her patterned robe draped casually around her. The artist employs loose, energetic line work characteristic of early twentieth-century American illustration, with particular attention to the play of fabric and the subject's relaxed pose. Hassam was known for his paintings and prints capturing intimate domestic scenes and female figures. This work demonstrates the sketch technique that preceded finished illustrations for periodicals and publications of the era, when such figure studies served as preliminary studies or standalone works for reproduction in magazines and newspapers.