Souvenir of an "International Ball" (Portrait of Miss Kathleen Bruce)
The subject for this portrait is Miss Kathleen Bruce, later Lady Scott, the widow of Antarctic explorer Sir Robert F. Scott. However, as the picture's original title underlines (Souvenir of an "International Ball"), the identity of the sitter is less important than her treatment as a decorous object. Highlighting the woman in front of a shadowed screen decorated with foliage, Shannon positioned her to ensure her hoop skirt billowed out and filled the large chair. The result is a "bouquet" of fabrics and bows which bursts forth from the real bouquet of flowers nestled upon the woman's lap. Shannon's debt to the Venetian Renaissance painter Titian (about 1489-1576) is evident in the loose brushwork he used to represent realistically the soft material of the dress and to heighten the sense of ornamentation. Although aware of contemporary art movements, he instead preferred to follow the art of previous masters like Titian. He shared this love of older tradition with his living and working partner, Charles Ricketts (1866-1931), as well as with Alphonse Legros (1837-1911), a French-born artist who was an important teacher in Britain.
Colors in this work
Details
- Date
- 1907
- Medium
- oil on canvas
- Dimensions
- unframed: height 1.168 m, width 0.872 m
- Origin
- England, early 20th Century
- Department
- Modern European Painting and Sculpture
- Holding institution
- Cleveland Museum of Art
- Palette
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- Image provider
- cleveland-museum-of-art
- License
- CC0-1.0
- Credit
- Mr. and Mrs. William H. Marlatt Fund
Art Genome Taxonomy
9 tags
Subject Matter
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Individual Portrait Metadata · 99%
The Cleveland Museum of Art identifies the work as a portrait of Miss Kathleen Bruce and gives the title “Souvenir of an "International Ball" (Portrait of Miss Kathleen Bruce).”
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Related to Fashion Visual · 98%
The sitter’s elaborate dress, broad hoop skirt, bows, fan, and accessories occupy much of the composition and make clothing a central visual subject.
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References to Art History Metadata · 91%
The museum description explicitly discusses Shannon’s debt to Titian and his preference for following earlier masters.
Visual Qualities
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Dark Colors Visual · 96%
Deep browns, blacks, and shadowed greens dominate the screen, chair, and surrounding areas, contrasting with the pale costume and flowers.
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Highly Ornamented Visual · 93%
The dress, repeated bows, bouquet, fan, and decorated background produce a strongly ornamental and richly embellished appearance.
Medium and Techniques
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Oil Painting Both · 99%
The museum catalogs the work as oil on canvas, and the image shows a painted surface with visible layered brushwork.
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Large Brushstrokes/Loose Brushwork Both · 96%
Broad, energetic strokes are especially visible in the billowing dress, bouquet, hair, and darker furnishings; the museum description also specifically characterizes Shannon’s brushwork as loose.
Time Periods
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1900 - 1917 Art Metadata · 99%
The work is dated 1907, placing it within the catalog’s 1900–1917 period.
Geographic Regions
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British and Irish Art Metadata · 98%
The artist is identified as British and the place of origin as England.
Source & rights
Charles Hasslewood Shannon (British, 1863–1937). Souvenir of an "International Ball" (Portrait of Miss Kathleen Bruce). Cleveland Museum of Art.
High-resolution sources
- Original TIFF ↗ 5,700 × 7,664 · Cleveland Museum Of Art · Available