William M. Chase, N. A.

John Singer Sargent · 1902

A painter stands with palette and brushes, pausing mid-work to look hard at us. John Singer Sargent painted his old friend William Merritt Chase in 1902, a portrait his students paid for and gave to the Metropolitan Museum in his honour.

The story behind the painting

Chase and Sargent met in Europe in 1881 and stayed friends for life. Sargent became the leading society portraitist on both sides of the Atlantic; Chase was celebrated both as an Impressionist painter and as one of the most influential teachers of his time, with students including Georgia O'Keeffe, Edward Hopper and George Bellows. In 1890 Sargent had staged a performance by the Spanish dancer La Carmencita at Chase's Tenth Street studio so both could paint her. In 1902, a group of Chase's students commissioned Sargent to paint their teacher, intending to give the portrait to the Metropolitan Museum. It was painted in Sargent's London studio during Chase's visit to England.

What to look for

Chase stands in a three-quarter-length pose against a dark, neutral background, about 158.8 by 105.1 cm. In his left hand he holds a palette and brushes; in his right, a poised brush, as if he has stopped painting to study his canvas. He wears what he called his "old blue studio coat", which Sargent insisted on instead of the formal frock coat Chase preferred. A carnation sits in his buttonhole, and his upright stance projects confidence and professionalism. The title's "N. A." records his election as a National Academician of the National Academy of Design in New York. Notice how the gaze, not the brush, is the centre of the picture.

Meaning and intent

Sargent's choice of working clothes was deliberate, presenting Chase as a practising painter rather than simply a gentleman. The Metropolitan Museum's catalogue notes that his working attire, palette, poised brush and assured stance suggest a dual persona as a painter and a gentleman. A 2023 master's thesis at American University read the portrait against the rising competition between painting and photography: by showing Chase in the mental work of observation, staring intently rather than applying paint, Sargent stressed the intellectual labour of portraiture and its value over the mechanical camera. Painted for the Met, it also suited the museum's interest in connoisseurship and original works.

Legacy

Once the portrait was finished, Chase's students still had to raise the money for Sargent's fee. They did it by exhibiting the painting in New York, Philadelphia and Chicago before presenting it to the Metropolitan Museum of Art. It entered the museum in 1905 as a gift of the pupils of Chase, accession number 05.33. Chase was then at the height of his reputation, having directed the Shinnecock Hills Summer School of Art on Long Island from 1891 to 1902. The picture remains a double tribute: from a friend who painted him as he truly worked, and from the students who wanted their teacher honoured in the nation's leading museum.