Robert Henri
Jessica Penn in Black with White Plumes

• What can we learn about this woman’s personality from her portrait? The artist does not give us many clues about where she is standing. Can you imagine a background scene for this portrait?

Robert Henri encouraged students at his New York art school to find inspiration in their contemporary surroundings. His portrait summons the grand manner seventeenth century Spanish tradition of full-length figures painted against dark backgrounds. Henri challenged the past with a modern subject, portraying a young woman who had come to New York in pursuit of professional opportunity. Jessica Penn, a dancer, made her debut on Broadway in 1901. Her bold gaze and confident pose communicate her independence and spirit.

• How do gender roles define people? Consider traditional gender roles of the early 20th century. Why might the woman in this portrait be seen as radical?
• Shortly after this portrait was made in 1919, the 19th Amendment passed. What impact has the legacy of the women's suffrage movement had on the country today? Whose stories were excluded from the women's suffrage movement?