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Ruth Draper as a Dalmatian Peasant
The American actress Ruth Draper (1884–1956) is credited with originating the now-familiar onewoman show. She wrote her own monologues and impersonations, both dramatic and comic, and gained fame in the United States and Europe. With few props, she carried out amazing feats of selftransformation. One eyewitness was impressed by her "remarkable ability to reproduce each and every emotion a human being can experience."
Sargent first drew a conventional portrait of Draper in 1913. However, after seeing her perform, he told her, "Destroy my portrait. I want to draw you as one of your characters." Here, Draper appears as a Dalmatian peasant in a New York hospital, one of her most famous monologue roles. The energetic lines convey the confidence that enabled Sargent to complete two drawings of the actress in just one-and-a-half hours. Refusing Draper's offer of payment, he gave her this portrait as a token of his admiration.
Charcoal on paper, 1914
Museum of the City of New York; bequest of Ruth Draper, 1957 |