John Singer Sargent is best remembered for his portraiture--especially of wealthy, socially prominent women. Mrs. Kate A. Moore, born Katharine Robinson, was a millionairess from Pittsburgh residing in Paris, where she entertained lavishly and defied the condescension of society wits.

Sargent depicts Moore in a strangely twisted pose, ingeniously representing her personality and her somewhat awkward yet commanding status in Parisian society. His development of such unconventional poses reinvigorated the tradition of portraiture. .

Courtesy of the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, gift of Joseph H. Hirshhorn, 1972.