Winold Reiss (1886–1953)

WINOLD REISS (1886–1953)
Young Woman in Black Stole, about 1930–35
Pastel on Whatman board, 30 x 22 in.

RECORDED: Jeffrey C. Stewart, Winold Reiss: An Illustrated Checklist of His Portraits (Washington, D.C.: National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution, 1990), p. 43 illus.

EX COLL.: the artist; to his estate, 1953 until the present

Young Woman in Black Stole is one of a group of portraits of stylishly dressed, attractive young women, that Winold Reiss painted throughout the 1920s and 1930s in the course of his career as a New York studio artist. While some of the subjects have been specifically identified, the names and biographical details of most remain a mystery, as is the case with the present subject. Reiss was especially fond of painting women wearing coats or capes with oversized fur collars, finding in the fur an opportunity to show off virtuoso technique in expressing the soft textures of the material and the effects of light. The young woman in this portrait is stylishly dressed for the city outdoors, wearing a black cape with a large fur collar. Her light auburn hair peaks out showing marcel or finger waves under a narrow roll-brim black hat. Sculpted arched eyebrows emphasize her blue eyes while orange lipstick accentuates a heart-shaped mouth. The red polish on her manicured fingernails echoes the sleeves of a jacket, made of a textured fabric, bouclé or chenille. There is nothing accidental in this young lady’s appearance.