Mature style Mariette Leslie Cotton

louisa archer thornton mariette leslie cotton (1905, oil on canvas)



brayton c. ives mariette leslie cotton (1907, oil on canvas, 50 x 40 inches)



lady mendl infirmiere pendant la guerre mariette leslie cotton (circa 1918, oil on canvas, 30 x 23 inches)



portrait of col. william wright harts mariette leslie cotton (oil on canvas)

in 1900 cotton showed 5 portraits @ knoedler s. exhibition attracted attention of critics praised versatility , evident sympathy sitters dash , spirit of style. relationship knoedler s continued exhibitions every few years 1901 through 1921. critics liked 1901 show, 1 praising improvement in work. when twenty-one portraits appeared @ knoedler s in 1904, reviewers praised character research, directness , simplicity, , clever brushwork. 1 of them noted ability secure likeness, power of characterization, , rule drawing , effective color. reviewer noted unevenness in show, portraits giving evidence of having been rushed or given perfunctory attention. in 1906 cotton seen have brilliant career before her, earning enough commissioned portraits support support herself , family. time sitters increasingly european countries, many of them titled. 2 of these women had befriended cotton, lady cunard , lady savile. lady bache cunard former maude alice burke, american wealthy new york family. had married english baronet named bache edward cunard grandson of founder of cunard line. prominent in london social circles, noted promoter of literary , artistic careers. gertrude lady savile, raised in well-connected english family, developed strong ties in united states after married man had diplomatic appointment @ british embassy in washington, d.c. during stay in country became toast of town not in national capital, in new york. after first husband s untimely death, married diplomat, john savile, who, on death of childless uncle, named john savile, inherited title, 2nd baron savile, , wealth. lady cunard, lady savile highly respected london society matron. acting in competition each other, 2 women worked advance cotton s career in london. able obtain commissions growing list of titled english sitters including lord howard de walden; daughter of duke, lady marjorie manners; , lady in waiting queen, honorable violet vivian. while in marienbad during summer of 1907, cotton began work on portrait of english socialite named mrs. hall walker. close friend of edward vii, walker provided cotton introduction resulted in request king paint portrait well. mrs. hall walker, later baroness wavertree, popular hostess seen liking surround herself beautiful women such cotton. begun in marienbad, portrait completed following winter @ cotton s london studio. when portrait shown in exhibition @ knoedler s later year, critic praised innovative informality of clothing , pose revealed king s amiability without compromising dignity. portrait pleased him commissioned another, more formal, portrait of himself , 1 of queen. in 1914, cotton brought of london portraits new york exhibition @ knoedler s eliciting concise evaluation critic brooklyn daily eagle: there little doubt of talent of mrs. leslie cotton, shows portraits in oil, in upper gallery @ knoedler s, paints conviction, feeling , convincing result.

from time of marriage through 1920s cotton lived in london , paris, making frequent visits new york. showed work infrequently in new york galleries, instead inviting acquaintances studio see completed portraits , ones still in progress. these events, afternoon teas, became popular among social set in moved. on occasions did show work in new york galleries exhibitions reported in press. example, when in 1917 showed fifteen portraits had made in paris on previous few years, exhibition attracted notice new york herald, christian science monitor, sun, schenectady gazette, american art news, , fine arts journal. reviewers praised show in general, saw unevenness in quality of work, , impressed both social standing , attractiveness of sitters. 1 influential critic, henry mcbride, said mrs. cotton realizes personages vividly 1 tempted run off personal gossip rather thread tedious intricacies of discussion of artistic technique. during years when made home abroad cotton had paintings accepted exhibition in annual paris salons. appearances infrequent in career , annual during 1920s.

p. g. konody, writing in new york times , 12 december 1926

throughout career cotton moved , had no permanent or long-term studio. worked in hotel rooms , stayed in private home guest of 1 of sitters. during winter of 1902-1903 painted mrs. henry flagler @ home in palm beach. in august 1903 stayed 1 of sitters, mrs. william b. leeds, guest in bar harbor on leeds s yacht , december of year had studio in new york likened drawing room complete luxurious old tapestries. year later painting in studio within apartment hotel, schuyler, on west 45th street. in 1906 occupied rooms in london townhouse owned friend, lady savile. following summer, when began work on portrait of king edward, had studio in marienbad , while completing portrait during winter months occupying studio on tite street in chelsea had formerly been used james mcneill whistler. in 1913 had london studio, 1 on devonshire street, , 2 years later, in midst of world war i, working in paris. returning united states in 1916, painted portraits in private houses , had no studio. during 1920s worked in paris studios , thereafter, until end of life, in new york.

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