Her Leisure Hour
Irving R. Wiles
ca. 1925
Medium
Painting
Classification
Painting
Department
Smithsonian Collection
Museum
Smithsonian American Art Museum
Credit
Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of John Gellatly
Accession Number
1929.6.160
Tags
libraryfull lengthleisuremeditation
About this artwork
Irving Wiles painted many portraits of society women that emphasized their elaborate costumes and jewelry. One writer for Scribner's Magazine commented that Wiles painted women's ribbons, veils, and laces with "as much character as he puts in the expression of their faces." But in Her Leisure Hour, the girl's unhappy expression is at odds with her luxurious surroundings, as if she could find no interest in any of the books behind her, and took no pleasure in her elegant clothes.