Urgent Museum Notice

Portrait of a Young Girl with a Blue Ribbon

Close up of Portrait of a Young Girl with a Blue Ribbon

Straightforward pastel portrait of a young girl. She has light-skin, brown eyes and brown hair, which is held in place by a light blue bow that sits atop her head. It matches her blue dress, which is overlaid by a light shawl. She looks forward, with a focused gaze.
Straightforward pastel portrait of a young girl. She has light-skin, brown eyes and brown hair, which is held in place by a light blue bow that sits atop her head. It matches her blue dress, which is overlaid by a light shawl. She looks forward, with a focused gaze.
Louise Abbéma, Portrait of a Young Girl with a Blue Ribbon, Not dated; Pastel on canvas, 18 x 15 in.; National Museum of Women in the Arts, Gift of Wallace and Wilhelmina Holladay

Louise Abbéma’s Portrait of a Young Girl with a Blue Ribbon demonstrates the influence of Impressionism on her style, as well as her skill with pastels. Unblended strokes of pastel crayon, particularly in the girl’s dress, work together to suggest the texture of the blue material, rather than rendering it in fine detail. In certain areas, Abbéma lets the blank canvas show through, an effect often used by Impressionist artists such as Berthe Morisot.

Abbéma’s frank and un-sentimentalized portrayal of her sitter is unusual in her oeuvre; her most typical subjects are genre scenes, allegories, and portraits of women.

Artwork Details

  • Artist

    Louise Abbéma
  • Title

    Portrait of a Young Girl with a Blue Ribbon
  • Date

    ca. 1895
  • Medium

    Pastel on canvas
  • Dimensions

    18 x 15 in.
  • Donor Credit

    Gift of Wallace and Wilhelmina Holladay
  • On Display

    No