''A Friendly Call'' is an oil-on-canvas painting executed in 1895 by the American painter

William Merritt Chase William Merritt Chase (November 1, 1849October 25, 1916) was an American painter, known as an exponent of Impressionism and as a teacher. He is also responsible for establishing the Chase School, which later became the Parsons School of Design. ...

. It was acquired by the

National Gallery of Art The National Gallery of Art is an art museum in Washington, D.C., United States, located on the National Mall, between 3rd and 9th Streets, at Constitution Avenue NW. Open to the public and free of charge, the museum was privately established in ...

Washington D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...

, in 1943 as part of the

Chester Dale Chester Dale (May 3, 1883 – December 16, 1962) was an American banker and art collector. Dale earned his wealth from the New York Stock Exchange, which then allowed him to become a major collector of nineteenth- and twentieth-century French pa ...

collection. The canvas depicts Chase's wife Alice earnestly chatting with a fashionably dressed visitor in the artist's studio at their summer house at Shinnecock Hills, Long Island. The features of the studio are accurately rendered when compared to a contemporary photograph. The use of color and light is reminiscent of the French Impressionists, a style that led to Chase being dubbed an "American Impressionist".

References

1895 paintings Paintings by William Merritt Chase Paintings in the National Gallery of Art Oil on canvas paintings Paintings of women {{1890s-painting-stub

See also

References