"A portrait is a picture in which there is just a tiny little something not quite right about the mouth." -- John Singer Sargent

Thursday, August 2, 2018

Betsy Patterson Bonaparte



This 1823 portrait of Elizabeth "Betsy" Patterson Bonaparte by Firmin Massot hangs in the Museum of the Maryland Historical Society in Baltimore, Maryland.
“Elizabeth ‘Betsy’ Patterson Bonaparte (February 6, 1785 – April 4, 1879) was an American socialite. She was the daughter of a Baltimore merchant, and the first wife of Jérôme Bonaparte, Napoleon's youngest brother.” -- Wikipedia
“Firmin Massot was one of Geneva's foremost portrait painters, rendering likenesses of prominent Swiss citizens, as well as foreigners who found themselves in the city. Elizabeth first explored Geneva in 1816 when she was seeking a school for Bo. She returned in 1823 just before this portrait was painted. Here she is seen at 38 years old, a woman in full possession of her independence.” – Md Historical Society

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