Skip to main content
Advanced Search
Martha Dana (later Mrs. William Mercer)

Martha Dana (later Mrs. William Mercer)

(Swedish, 1860–1920)
1899
Medium/TechniqueOil on canvas
Dimensions68.6 x 50.8 cm (27 x 20 in.)
Credit LineGift of Mrs. William R. Mercer
Accession number28.513
On View
Not on view
ClassificationsPaintings
Collections
Description
Zorn painted this portrait of Martha Dana (1872–1960) at the Back Bay home of Boston art collector and personality Isabella Stewart Gardner, who arranged a number of commissioned portraits on the artist’s behalf. The artist captures the youth and vivacity of this modern beauty with quick, loose brushstrokes and vibrant accents of color. In her later years, Dana would become a prominent benefactor to local arts institutions, including the MFA.
InscriptionsUpper right: Zorn 99
Provenance1899, Martha Dana (later Mrs. William Robert Mercer; b. 1872 - d. 1960), Boston (original commission); 1928, gift of Martha Dana Mercer to the MFA. (Accession Date: October 4, 1928)