Amy Phipps Guest had a pioneer spirit—she aspired to be an aviatrix. Those plans were nixed, but that did not prevent her from bankrolling flights by Amelia Earhart. She also was a big supporter of women’s suffrage, putting her own money to work in the effort to win women the right to vote. You see a lot of that determination and passion in her expression.

Sargent was known for his fabulous cache of objets d’art, architectural fragments, tapestries and furnishings. In this painting, he depicts Amy Phipps Guest standing before a backdrop evocative of the 18th century that would be at home in any painting by Thomas Gainsborough, with an ornamental balustrade and other details picked out in his loose brushwork.

That backdrop helps establish Phipps Guest as a member of the American aristocracy, thanks to those classical elements, which would have been at home on any of the estates of the landed gentry in England, where the portrait was painted.

What a fascinating insight into the life of Amy Phipps Guest and the artistic depiction by Sargent! The blend of history, art, and social influence in this portrait is truly captivating. It's a window into a bygone era of determination and elegance.