My Daughter Elisabeth, ca. 1914

  • Frank Weston Benson, American, 1862-1951

Oil on canvas

  • Unframed: 44 × 37 inches (111.8 × 94 cm)
  • 55 3/8 × 44 3/8 × 4 inches (140.7 × 112.7 × 10.2 cm)

Detroit Museum of Art Purchase, Special Membership and Donations Fund with contributions from Philip, David and Paul R. Gray, and their sister Mrs. William R. Kales

16.31

On View

  • American, Level 2, West

Department

American Art before 1950

Benson’s portrait of his eldest daughter, Elisabeth, eloquently summarizes the artist’s interests during the early twentieth century—the exploration of outdoor light and the depiction of lively, radiant, young womanhood. Although Benson used a camera in his working process, he idealized his subjects when he transferred them to canvas. The images of his daughters in outdoor light remain the quintessential vision of American womanhood at the turn of the century.

Signed, lower left corner: F. W. Benson

until 1916, the artist, Frank Weston Benson

1916-present, purchase by the Detroit Institute of Arts (Detroit, Michigan, USA)

Burroughs, Clyde. “Annual Exhibition.” Bulletin of the Detroit Museum of Art, 10, 8 (April 1916): p. 9. ______________. “The Second Annual Exhibition.” Bulletin of the Detroit Museum of Art 10, 9 (May 1916): pp. 3, 14 (ill.). ______________. “A Painting by Frank W. Benson.” Bulletin of the Detroit Museum of Art 11, 2-3 (November-December 1916): pp. 19-20 (ill.). Second Annual Exhibition of Painting by American Artists. Exh. cat., Detroit Museum of Art. Detroit, 1916, pp. 6-7 (ill.). American Beauty: Paintings and Sculpture from the Detroit Institute of Arts, 1770-1920. Exh. cat., Detroit Institute of Arts. Detroit, 2001, no. 73, pp. 99-100.

Frank Weston Benson, My Daughter Elisabeth, ca. 1914, oil on canvas. Detroit Institute of Arts, Detroit Museum of Art Purchase, Special Membership and Donations Fund with contributions from Philip Gray, et al., 16.31.