Mrs. Potter Palmer

About this artwork

This portrait shows Bertha Palmer holding the ivory gavel she used to preside over meetings of the Board of Lady Managers for the World’s Columbian Exposition, which opened in Chicago in 1893. The board, with Palmer as president, was responsible for organizing the Woman’s Building at the fair. Palmer requested Swedish portraitist Anders Zorn for this painting because his impressionistic style was in keeping with her taste as a collector, which was considered radical at the time. While organizing...

Art Historical Context

Anders Zorn’s striking full-length portrait of Mrs. Potter Palmer, painted in 1893, presents one of Chicago’s most influential figures at the height of the Gilded Age. Bertha Honoré Palmer, a leading socialite, philanthropist, and art patron, was deeply involved in the city’s cultural life, notably as a key organizer of the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition. The painting’s impressive scale—over eight feet tall—conveys her commanding presence and elevated status. Working in oil on canvas, the Swedish artist employs his signature loose, fluid brushwork to capture light, fabric, and atmosphere with remarkable immediacy. Zorn’s approach blends academic portrait traditions with Impressionistic freedom, allowing the rich textures of Mrs. Palmer’s gown and the subtle play of light across her figure to come alive. This technique reflects his international reputation for vivid, psychologically insightful likenesses. Acquired by the Art Institute of Chicago, the work stands as both a personal tribute and a record of transatlantic cultural exchange at the close of the nineteenth century. It invites viewers to consider the intersections of wealth, gender, and artistic patronage that shaped American society during this dynamic era.

About the Artist

Anders Zorn · 1860–1920

Anders Zorn (1860–1920), one of Sweden's most celebrated artists, was born on February 18 in Utmeland near Mora in Dalarna, and raised on his maternal grandparents' farm in the nearby hamlet of Yvraden. Displaying prodigious talent from a young age, he attended school in Mora Strand until age twelve, followed by secondary grammar school in Enköping, where he excelled in drawing people and horses. ...