I don

I'm sure it would be interesting for members to actually see the painting in question. It's tough to capture and reduce a good-quality image, but here's a try:

[quote]

Thank you, Steven!
I just read a book described this painting.
Sargent arranged one girl in profile, but why?
Hint: she is the eldest.

Poor Little Girl
 

Maybe JSS couldn't paint her pretty!

I'm not aware of a reasoned, nonconjectural design for that, S.B. Perhaps you will have to enlighten us about what you've discovered about that pose.

What is the title of the book you referred to?

Steve is right. You can never get even an inkling of how great this masterpiece is unless you actually see it--right up close. I took one of the worst train trips in European rail history to see it at the Tate in 98

Please wait till many Sargent fans have a real adventure on this issue--the secret of the composition of this painting, Daughters of Boit, and find an answer by analyzing.

Anyone who has the best answer will be awarded.

How bout this...

The girls are lit and composed according to their age rank. The oldest is most obscure and least lit. The next oldest, although her face is not obscure, is lit only slightly better than her older sister, and so on.

Could it be that the parents are etched somewhere into the darkness, eldest last?

One