American Art Collaborative

Chartran, a portraitist who specialized in celebrities and historical subjects, enjoyed a remarkable following in both France and America at the turn of the century. Apart from his skill in presenting flattering images, Chartran was admired for his "tact and bright sociability" that made him a "favorite among foreigners to visit New York." Jennie Walters was the daughter of William Thompson Walters (1819-1894) and Ellen Harper Walters (1822-1862). She was raised by her father and in the course of her education attended school in Paris; St. Mary's Convent, Georgetown, and Harvard University. While in Cambridge she married Warren Delano. They lived in Orange, New Jersey, and later in New York. Mrs. Delano survived her husband by two years. The subject was short in stature and full in figure. She is shown voluminously clad, seated in three-quarters length wearing a double-layered dress, the outer being black tulle and lace and the inner white satin. Her sleeves are wide and ruffled and she wears a white lace "Bertha." Gazing directly at the viewer, left hand on her shoulder and right in her lap, she appears confident and self-assured.