Study in Auburn

Study in Auburn (1904) by Alice Pike Barney is a study in colour as much as in portraiture — the title directing attention to the warm reddish-brown tones that presumably define the work's palette, likely centred on auburn hair. Barney produced many figure studies in Washington and Paris that were as concerned with colour harmony as with likeness, and this work reflects her ongoing interest in the interplay between figure and colour scheme.

The warm auburn tones referenced in the title would dominate the palette, with Barney likely placing a red-haired figure against a background chosen for tonal complementarity. Her handling is direct — French academic training producing confident, economical marks rather than laboured blending.