In the mid-1890s, Vermont-born Farley studied at the Pennsylvania Academy with William Merritt Chase and Cecilia Beaux. In France, he studied with James Abbott McNeill Whistler. When he returned to America, the artist lived in Philadelphia and later moved to Bucks County, settling in 1924 in New Hope. He specialized in portraits, such as this one with the suggestion of opulent interiors. This painting is remarkable in its rich textures: the elaborate pattern on the wall covering, the patterned upholstery on the settee, and luminous fabric of the sitter’s dress.
