Marianne with Hat

Portrait by Alice Pike Barney (1857–1931), an American painter and playwright. This pastel study depicts a figure in three-quarter view wearing an elaborate hat adorned with peacock feathers in iridescent blues and greens. The sitter gazes slightly upward, rendered with soft modeling in flesh tones against darker tones of clothing and background. Barney's technique employs bold color contrasts and loose handling, characteristic of early twentieth-century portrait practice. The work reflects the aesthetic interests of Progressive Era salon society in which Barney moved as a patron and artist.