Cleopatra Through the Artist's Eye: Fernand Paillet

Photo: New-York Historical Society

Mrs. Arthur Henry Paget

(Mary Fiske Stevens, 1853-1919)

Watercolor on ivory

Fernand Paillet (1850-1918)

1891

"Posed against a background of palm trees, the Nile River, and distant pyramids, Mrs. Paget is depicted in a stunning masquerade ball costume, dressed as Cleopatra. Mrs. Paget evidently liked dressing as the Egyptian queen, as she donned a similar costume for the famous Devonshire House Ball held in London in 1897. Her gown, supplied by Worth of Paris, glittered with gold and diamonds, and her headdress of rubies and emeralds was surmounted by a jeweled crown. Paillet painted the miniature after this studio photograph."

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