Alice Vanderbilt Shepard

By John Singer Sargent (1888)

The Vanderbilts were one of the most prominent families of the so-called “Gilded Age.” At one point they were the wealthiest family in America.

But this picture tells a very different story. Painted by John Singer Sargent when he visited the United States in 1888 it depicts the highly gifted 13 year old Alice Shepard.

As a young girl she had fallen out of a tree and sustained injuries to her spine that would cause her severe discomfort and curtail her ability to leave the house. But she was known as a highly gifted student and autodidact, which meant that she befriended Sargent by speaking fluently with him in French when he visited the home of the young invalid.

In this picture there is no indication of her sad fate. Instead, we see an intelligent looking, pale, and somewhat androgynous young woman looking fixedly to her left. She’s wearing a military style walking suit, which further masks her femininity.

When looking at this picture one can sense how much Sargent must have admired this young woman, as he depicts her with poise and a confident, intelligent demeanor. She is not a victim, but a survivor. She looks lovely and intelligent. Only the red eyes and pale features betray her fate.

And yet Shepard’s life was just beginning. She went on to study at Harvard University. She taught herself Esperanto and became the co-founder (together with her husband) of the International Auxiliary Language association, dedicated to the idea of a universal auxiliary language. Deeming no existing language sufficient, she contributed to the creation of a new universal language, named “Interlingua”.

I find this portrait absolutely stunning. It speaks to me so much more than a photograph would. There is such a sense of promise in it, and indeed a resilient hope, that despite a tragic accident, nothing could keep this young woman from climbing to new and lofty heights.

On a final note, it’s worth mentioning that Alice clearly didn’t suffer from a fear of heights, even after her fall. When her father rejected her future husband as a possible suitor, she climbed out of the window of her home, eloping with him to become married anyway. Judging by this picture, it’s easy enough for me to imagine her doing so. This woman wasn’t to be stopped.

Julian

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