Study of a Hat

Susan M. Ketcham

Oil on canvas

Indianapolis Museum of Art at Newfields

A young woman gazes out with a quiet, pensive intensity beneath an exuberant black hat whose soft feathery brim frames her pale face in dramatic contrast. Ketcham's loose, confident brushwork and warm earthen palette recall the tonalist portraiture popular in late nineteenth-century American painting, with the glowing ochre background setting off the sitter's dark attire and delicate white collar. As a woman working in the male-dominated academies of her era, Ketcham brought a sensitive, intimate touch to portraiture that rewards close viewing. This richly toned, atmospheric study would lend an heirloom elegance to any room, evoking the quiet dignity of a bygone age.