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Self Portrait

1947
Not on view
The work of Fidelma Cadmus Kirstein has been overshadowed by that of her brother, the painter Paul Cadmus, and her husband, the prominent cultural figure Lincoln Kirstein. Here she represents herself boldly returning the viewer’s gaze with bare shoulders and plush towel wrapped around her head like a turban. Set against a bright blue ground that suggests a clear sky, she appears to be sunbathing, a possible reference to leisure time she spent with family and friends on New York's Fire Island. Recalling portraits from the Early Renaissance, the detailed egg-tempera technique she employed enhances the self-portrait’s restrained intimacy.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Self Portrait
  • Artist: Fidelma Cadmus Kirstein (American, 1906–1991)
  • Date: 1947
  • Medium: Egg tempera on panel
  • Dimensions: 11 3/8 × 8 3/4 in. (28.9 × 22.2 cm)
  • Classification: Paintings
  • Credit Line: George A. Hearn Fund, 2016
  • Object Number: 2016.208
  • Curatorial Department: Modern and Contemporary Art

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Lincoln Kirstein, Fidelma Cadmus Kirstein American, Egg tempera on panel
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1941
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We crossed the River at McKonkey's Ferry 9 miles above Trenton ... the night was excessively severe ... which the men bore without the least murmur...-Tench Tilghman, 27 December 1776/Struggle Series - No. 10: Washington Crossing the Delaware, Jacob Lawrence American, Egg tempera on hardboard
We crossed the River at McKonkey's Ferry 9 miles above Trenton ... the night was excessively severe ... which the men bore without the least murmur...-Tench Tilghman, 27 December 1776/Struggle Series - No. 10: Washington Crossing the Delaware
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1954
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