She Became One of the Greats — It Started With a Simple Exercise
How a tough choice in the face of sexism formed a legendary artist
7 min readApr 2, 2021
In New York City, sometime around the beginning of the twentieth century, a young art student sat for a portrait.
The artist who painted this portrait won a prestigious award for that portrait. The young woman who sat for the portrait suddenly became a sought-after model. She could actually earn money sitting for portraits.