Emily Sargent
American, 1857–1936
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Emily Sargent was an artist best known for her watercolors and the sister of John Singer Sargent. She did not exhibit her own work during her lifetime. But 440 of her works were discovered in 1998 in a trunk in a family residence. Many of these works have been given to some of the world's best known museums.
The first major exhibition of her work Emily Sargent, A Glimpse into her World was held at the Cape Ann Museum in Gloucester, Massachusetts in 2022.
Emily Sargent was a descendant of Epes Sargent, a colonial military leader and jurist. Her father, FitzWilliam (b. 1820 in Gloucester, Massachusetts), was an eye surgeon at the Wills Eye Hospital in Philadelphia from 1844 to 1854. Her mother, Mary Newbold Sargent (née Singer, 1826–1906), suffered a breakdown after the death of her first child, and the couple decided to go abroad to recover. They were nomadic expatriates for the rest of their lives. Sargent's parents were based in Paris, but moved regularly, spending time at the sea and at mountain resorts in France, Germany, Italy, and Switzerland.
While Mary was pregnant with her son, John Singer Sargent, they stopped in Florence, Tuscany, because of a cholera epidemic. John was born there in 1856. A year later, his sister Emily was born, also in Italy. After her birth, FitzWilliam resigned his post in Philadelphia and accepted his wife's request to remain abroad. They lived on a small inheritance and savings, leading a quiet life with their children. They generally avoided society and other Americans, except for friends in the art world. Three more children were born abroad, of whom only two lived past childhood.
At age four, Emily Sargent had a serious spinal injury, followed by a prolonged immobilization, resulting in lifelong frailty. Nevertheless, she traveled and painted throughout Europe and the Near East. Their mother made sure that all the children learned to draw and paint.
Emily and John were close and both lived in Europe most of their lives, often traveling together. Neither married or had children, and Emily sometimes served as his hostess and helped him with his clients.