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Paxton, who was known for his fine draftsmanship, uses diffused light to soften contours in a manner similar to Impressionism.

His favorite subjects were female figures posed in elegant interiors.

Paxton was a member of the Boston School that flourished during the early 20^th century.

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William McGregor Paxton

Girl Sweeping, about 1912

oil on canvas board

17 ¼ x 14 ½

Gift of Susan K. Mallinson

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William Paxton was born and raised in Newton, Massachusetts, and studied in Boston at the Cowles School and in Paris at Ecole des Beaux-Arts. His primary influence, especially for his figure studies, was the 17^th-century Dutch master Johannes Vermeer. In addition to his easel painting, Paxton was a muralist, lithographer, and etcher and had studios in Boston, East Gloucester, and Provincetown. He became a member of the National Academy of Design in 1928. Paxton was equally famous for his portraiture and figure studies of upper-class women at leisure.

Girl Sweeping is characteristic of Paxton’s women in elegant settings and is a smaller version of a painting of the same title executed in 1912. The paintings are very similar except for a rearrangement of furniture and the addition of the cap in the smaller version, which more readily defines the figure as a servant. It is not unusual for Paxton to depict servants, since they were so much a part of upper-class life.

Reference

Ellen Wardwell Lee, R. H. Ives Gammel, Martin F. Krause, Jr. William McGregor Paxton 1869-1941. Indianapolis Museum of Art, 1979. ASIN: B000S6CC4S