Five O'Clock

c. 1910

Gretchen W. Rogers

Associated Names
Gretchen W. Rogers

Artist, American, 1881 - 1967

This painting depicts a side view of a seated woman facing the right, showing the upper half of her body and the top of her legs. She is sitting on a dark wooden chair with horizontal slats visible at the back. The woman is positioned in profile, looking slightly downward, and holding a white cup and saucer with both hands. The woman has fair skin, a small nose, and a small chin. The top of her face and her hair are hidden by the large hat she wears, which is adorned with colorful fruits and flowers in shades of white, yellow, light pink, and light green. She wears a blue and white dress with frilled sleeves. The background is a beige wall.
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An elaborate hat decorated with fruit, flowers, and leaves partially obscures the face of a well-dressed woman. Although she sits alone against a plain background, the cup and saucer she cradles suggest she may have a teatime companion just outside the picture frame.

This scene captures a routine occurrence in the life of artist Gretchen Rogers. Each day at five o’clock, Rogers and other aspiring women artists gathered for tea and community in the Fenway Studio Building, where they studied art in Boston. This social ritual supported the independent young women who might have felt isolated away from home.

On View

West Building Main Floor, Gallery M70

Artwork overview

More About this Artwork

Article:  The Quiet Revolutions of Boston's Women Artists

The women who fought to become artists in the 19th century, only to have their contributions forgotten for nearly a century.

Artwork history & notes

Provenance

The artist; purchased February 1911 by Philip Little [1857-1942], Boston; his estate; purchased by private collection, Chicago. Purchased 1984 by private collection, Santa Barbara, California; purchased through (Vose Galleries, Boston) November 2022 by NGA.

Associated Names

Inscriptions

lower left: Gretchen W. Rogers

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