Seaside (July: Specimen of a Portrait)1878 · Study 1980.288

Context from the museum

This painting depicts a woman reclining upon an upholstered couch on a summer day while light filters through a partially closed awning that provides a glimpse of a beach in the background. James Tissot’s mature works from this time were more likely to convey a mood—here of a languid summer afternoon—than a specific narrative. The model for this painting was Kathleen Newton, born Kathleen Ashburnham Kelly (1854–1882), the artist’s lover from 1876 until her untimely death from tuberculosis at the age of 28.

Museum description reproduced from its CC0 open-access record. Read the original catalog entry.

A detail to notice

From 1869 to 1876, under the pseudonym Coïdé , James Tissot published political cartoons in the British weekly magazine Vanity Fair , causing circulation to skyrocket.

Observation supplied by the Cleveland Museum of Art.

Read the dimensions before the image

The selected unframed measurement for Seaside (July: Specimen of a Portrait) is 61 cm wide and 87.5 cm high, equivalent to approximately 24.0 × 34.4 inches. Dividing width by height gives a format ratio of 0.70:1. The rectangular bounding area is 0.53 square meters; it describes the measured footprint, not the amount of paint or the monetary value.

On an illustrative 300 cm wall, the recorded width occupies 20.3% of the span before adding a frame. A centered placement leaves approximately 119.5 cm on each side before adding a frame. These are calculations by Physical Art For Crypto using museum measurements. They are not the museum’s display recommendations.

Questions to bring to your own collection

With Seaside (July: Specimen of a Portrait) in view, identify one feature you can point to, then distinguish what the museum records from your personal response. Keep its medium, oil on fabric, in your notes when comparing contemporary works.

• Which part of this vertical composition catches your eye first?
• Would a 61 cm width still suit the space after allowing for furniture and a frame?
• What surface detail would you need to see in person or in a close photograph?