Name/Title
Old GalEntry/Object ID
2006.46.5Description
This portrait depicts an elderly woman seated in a green Windsor armchair with a yellow cushion, while a pink cushion rests against the chair's back. She is dressed in a blue dress with a white collar, accompanied by a darker blue jacket or sweater. Her head is adorned with a black hat decorated with pink flowers, secured by a loose black ribbon beneath her chin. The woman's hands are clasped together in her lap, and she wears a serious expression on her face. The background of the portrait is gray, and the artwork is unframed.Type of Painting
EaselArtwork Details
Medium
OilSubject Person
Small, Zana (1863-1952)Context
Entitle, "Old Gal," this portrait depicts Zana Bradley Small of Truro, Massachusetts. Dated 1938, the portrait was probably completed as part of Wright's work with the WPA. Zana Small was born in Highgate, Vermont but moved to Massachusetts at the time of her marriage in 1888. Little did Wright know at the time of the painting, that he would later become a full-time Vermonter and a great influence on the growing art community in that state.
Born and raised in New Jersey, Stan Marc Wright showed an early and consistent aptitude for art. Though he planned on following his father into the field of law, a trip to visit his aunt at an artist colony changed his life plans. He attended the Pratt Institute and graduated with honors in 1933, soon joining the Federal Art Project of the Works Progress Administration.
By the 1940s he was a sought-after portrait painter, famously depicting Ingrid Bergman. He enlisted in the army and served as a camouflage artist and portrait painter, ultimately earning a Bronze Star.
After the war he opened a studio and art school in New Jersey. After marrying Carolyne Hartke in 1949 the couple purchased an old farm in Stowe, Vermont. He moved his studio and school to Stowe and continued as a successful portrait artist.
He helped found the Northern Vermont Artists Association, the Helen Day Art Center, and curated many exhibitions. His portraits of Vermont politicians of the time are displayed in the Vermont State House. In addition to his Vermont portraits and scenes, he traveled the world painting interesting people and places.Acquisition
Accession
2006.46Source or Donor
George B. Johnson AntiquesAcquisition Method
PurchaseCredit Line
George B. Johnson AntiquesMade/Created
Artist
Wright, Stanley Marc (1911-1996)Date made
circa 1938Lexicon
Nomenclature 4.0
Nomenclature Primary Object Term
PaintingNomenclature Class
ArtNomenclature Category
Category 08: Communication Objects