John Singer Sargent was one of the most successful portrait painters of his era; nevertheless, his quote is, "Every time I paint a portrait I lose a friend". He was prolific and prosperous as an artist (around 900 oil paintings, over 2,000 watercolors and yes, some artists do very well during their life times). For my serendipitous connections, there is his portrait of Madame X (Virginie Amélie Avegno Gautreau of New Orleans) and his meeting artist Julian Alden Weir (Weir Farm, Connecticut - Weir met Sargent in 1874).
If you are in New York I recommend viewing the painting, Madame X at the Met . Also, you might enjoy the book Strapless by Deborah Davis.
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