John Singer Sargent

1856 - Born in Florence, Italy on the 12th of January.

1874-1878 - He studied with Carolus-Duran, whose influence would be pivotal.

1879 - He painted a portrait of Carolus-Duran; the virtuoso effort met with public approval.

1880 - He regularly exhibited portraits at the Salon, and these were mostly full-length portrayals of women.

1881 - He painted Madame Ramón Subercaseaux.

1882 - He continued to receive positive critical notice.

1884 - He had painted exotic beauties such as Rosina Ferrara of Capri, and the Spanish expatriate model, Carmela Bertagna, but the earlier pictures had not been intended for broad public reception.

1886 - Finalized his move to London.

1887 - His first major success at the Royal Academy with the enthusiastic response to Carnation, Lily, Lily, Rose, a large piece, painted on site, of two young girls lighting lanterns in an English garden.

1890 - He averaged fourteen portrait commissions per year, none more beautiful than the genteel Lady Agnew of Lochnaw.

1892 - His success was unmatched; his subjects were at once ennobled and often possessed of nervous energy.

1910 - He forsook portrait painting and focused on landscapes in his later years; he also sculpted later in life.

1909 - He exhibited eightysix watercolours in New York City, eightythree of which were bought by the Brooklyn Museum.

1915-1917 - Made numerous visits to the United States in the last decade of his life, including a stay of two full years.

1916 - He executed murals for the rotunda of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.

1925 - He died in London on the 15th of April.