The Mirror

Raymond Perry Rodgers Neilson grew up in Far Rockaway, Long Island. As the grandson of a rear admiral, he followed family tradition and graduated from Annapolis Naval Academy but left the Navy to become an artist. He learned from the best, his teachers being distinguished artists George Bellows (in the Union League Club collection) and William Merritt Chase. Three years of study in Paris at the École des Beaux-Arts further expanded his training. When the United States entered World War I, Neilson enlisted and served as a lieutenant to Admiral William Sims (1838-1956), head of all naval operations in Europe. He returned to his artistic aspirations after the war, also teaching and advocating conservative practices in artistic expression in the wake of burgeoning modernist movements. As a proponent of traditional art, Neilson became an active member in The Society for Sanity in Art, based in Chicago but with a national following.

As witnessed by this engaging work, Neilson excelled at portraiture. He presents more than the likeness of the sitter. He proffers a narrative of his subject, inviting speculation about her personality, life, and of her relationship to the artist. An unnamed, attractive young woman offers freshly cut flowers to the viewer. The flowers might be from the garden depicted in the background. A coral-colored necklace adorns her décolletage, and two other pieces of jewelry rest on a white-linen draped table beside her. The red box indicates the bracelet and red beads might be gifts from an admirer?

Neilson has closely cropped the interior space that is the woman’s boudoir, replete with an abundance of patterns---from the brown and beige-spotted dresser, to the Chinese porcelain white and blue bowl, and to her wrap dress that looks uncannily modern today. The title of the painting, The Mirror, reveals the true subject of the work and presents a mystery: the reflection in the mirror is not that of the young woman. She wears a different dress and her hairstyle exposes more of the nape and shoulders than the woman facing the viewer. Might this be her alter-ego? The tradition of inserting mirrors and imposing enigma into the narrative of the painting dates back centuries. It was a device to showcase the skill of the artist and to insinuate intrigue.

Sally Metzler, Ph.D., Director of the Art Collection