The Tate

What a place.  The National Gallery includes art from all over the globe. The Tate focuses on British art. One of the highlights for us is their collection of John Singer Sargeant paintings.  He was an American but so embodied English taste and outlook in the 19th century that he became an adopted Briton, much like Henry James and TS Eliot.

His portrait of Ena and Betty, Daughters of Asher and Mrs Wertheimer (1901) is exqusite.  He brings these two sisters to life. They look as if they paused for just a moment during a party to have their likenesses drawn. Betty's dark velvet contrasts with Ena's white damask, lending an irresistable visual focus to the portrait. It is said that Sargeant was particularly attracted to Ena (on the right). His portrait is very complementary of the subjects, a feature not lost on the painter or his subjects.