Mrs. Jacob Wendell (Mary Barrett, 1832–1912)

John Singer Sargent's portrait of Mrs. Jacob Wendell (Mary Barrett, 1832-1912) was painted during his productive American visit of 1887-88, when he painted numerous portraits of Boston and New York society. Mary Barrett, wife of Boston merchant and Harvard overseer Jacob Wendell, belonged to the established New England Protestant elite. Sargent at this period was completing his rehabilitation after the scandal of Madame X (1884) and building a successful Anglo-American portrait practice. His ability to capture the distinctive physiognomies and social bearing of his subjects made him the era's supreme portraitist.

Sargent's bravura brushwork gives the portrait immediacy and life: the face is captured with swift, precisely placed strokes that suggest character as well as likeness. The costume — likely black silk or satin — is rendered with the fluid ease that made his handling of expensive dress so admired. The background is kept neutral and atmospheric.