Description:Seated portrait of a young girl facing front with her hands clasped left around right in the lap of her green and cream dress. The square neckline decoration, cuffs of the short sleeves and the skirt are of darker green and the bodice is iridescent tones of creams and greens. Her light brown hair is parted in the middle and falls to her shoulders and her dark eyes gaze directly at the viewer.
History:Artist, Anna Blanton Townsend, was from Nashville, TN and Montclair, New Jersey. Her father was President of Ward-Belmont School for many years, and they were personal family friends of the subject. Artist had two daughters, Anne and Mary. She went to Wellesley College. Artist's brother-in-law wa Dallas Townsned, famous TV network news anchor in 1940s. Pose of this portrait was copied from an etching by James McNeill Whistler that subject thought resembled her.
Notes:Subject's father was Presbyterian minister Dr. S. H. Chester. Subject was born in 1899--Portrait possibly when she was 10-12. She attended Ward's Seminary, graduated Vanderbilt University, Phi Beta Kappa, Captain of girls' basketball team, president of Kappa Alpha Theta. Subject married about 1921 to graduate of Vanderbilt Medical School. Subject died in Nashville at age 93.
