Image courtesy of the Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum.
Portrait of an Unidentified Girl
Artifact IDMO 1942.156.5
Object Type
Painting
Artist
Olga Boznanska
(Polish painter, 1865-1940)
Dateca. 1921
MediumPaint (oil), Paper (cardboard)
Dimensionsoverall H 12 3/4 in x W 9 1/2 in (32.4 cm x 24.1 cm )
Physical DescriptionAn oil on cardboard portrait painting of an unidentified girl, from the waist up, head facing forward with the body turned slightly to the left of the painting. Her left hand rests in her lap. She is shown wearing dark clothing and a large, dark hat. The painting is signed by the artist in pencil in the lower right corner: Olga Boznanska. On the reverse, a handwritten note in ink reads: Painted by a Russian Lady / Artist in Paris & sent / to S.D.R in Paris 1921.
Historical NoteOlga Boznanska was a significant Polish painter best known for her portraits and still life paintings. Boznanska's style was influenced by several nineteenth century artists, including James Abbott McNeill Whistler and Édouard Manet and shows the qualities of both realism and impressionism.
This painting was a gift from Boznanska to Sara Delano Roosevelt, Franklin Roosevelt’s mother, while Mrs. Roosevelt was visiting Paris in 1921. FDR found the painting among his mother’s things after she died in 1941.
Additional Details
Custodial History NoteDeposited at the Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum by Franklin D. Roosevelt on January 6, 1942. It was donated as a bequest of FDR to the Library in 1947.
Credit LineEstate of Franklin D. Roosevelt
National Archives Catalog CollectionFranklin D. Roosevelt Library Museum Collection (National Archives Identifier 735948)
National Archives Catalog SeriesPrints and Paintings (National Archives Identifier 778817)
Use Restriction StatusUnrestricted
CopyrightReproduction or other use of these holdings or images thereof is unrestricted.
In Collection(s)
Not on view