American Art Collaborative

“Long before I felt the thrill of love, I knew that she would make the best wife in the world for me if I should love her . . . When love came to add to the friendship and confidence, I felt safe and so we mean to marry as soon as we can.” Kenyon Cox, letter to his mother, reprinted in Morgan, Kenyon Cox, 1856-1919: A Life in American Art, 199
Kenyon Cox gave this portrait as a wedding gift to his young bride and former student, Louise Howland King. His mother saw it before she met Louise, and later reported that she was relieved and surprised at how pretty her new daughter-in-law was. Cox responded to this backhanded compliment by telling his mother that most people thought the painting well done and very much like Louise. (Morgan, Kenyon Cox, 1856-1919: A Life in American Art, 1994