# Portrait of Dora Wheeler

**William Merritt Chase** (American, 1849–1916)  
1882–83  
oil on canvas  
Framed: 180.6 x 188.6 x 11 cm (71 1/8 x 74 1/4 x 4 5/16 in.); Unframed: 159.8 x 166.4 cm (62 15/16 x 65 1/2 in.)

Courtesy of the Cleveland Museum of Art, 1921.1239. [The museum's record](https://clevelandart.org/art/1921.1239).

## About this work

Dora Wheeler became Chase's first student when he returned from overseas study in Munich and set up a teaching studio in New York. At the time, few American artists accepted women as private pupils. After her course of study, Wheeler joined her mother in launching a successful decorating firm, one of the first businesses in the country to be operated entirely by women. For the firm, she designed luxurious textiles, and the embroidered silk tapestry that fills the background in her portrait references her occupational interest. Chase's portrait was awarded a gold medal at an international exhibition of contemporary art in Munich in 1883, and later that year was also shown in Paris. At some later point, the painting was acquired by the sitter, who subsequently donated it to the museum.

_Text from the Cleveland Museum of Art._

William Merritt Chase painted this in 1882–83, aged about 33. It is now at the Cleveland Museum of Art.

### How it was made

- **Oil paint.** Pigment ground in a drying oil, usually linseed. It dries slowly, so painters could blend on the canvas, build up thin translucent glazes, and rework a picture over weeks. Canvas replaced wooden panels in the 1500s because it is lighter and can be rolled.

### [William Merritt Chase](https://www.ochreeditions.com/artists/william-merritt-chase)

American, 1849–1916; born in Williamsburg, Indiana; died in New York

Chase studied at the Royal Academy in Munich, then returned to New York in 1878 to teach at the Art Students League, setting up a lavish Tenth Street studio that became a showcase. His style moved from dark Munich realism to bright, quick outdoor painting, seen in his views of city parks and of Shinnecock on Long Island, where he ran a summer school from 1891. He was among the most influential American teachers of his time, and his students included Georgia O’Keeffe and Edward Hopper.

_Written by Ochre Editions._

## Facts

- Type: Painting
- Culture: America
- The artist was about 33
- Real size: about 63 × 66 in (160 × 166 cm). The original is larger than our largest print, 24 × 36 in, so every print is a reduction.
- Century: 19th century
- Colour: ochre
- Rights: public domain (CC0 1.0); free to use for any purpose.

## Get it

- Free download, full resolution: https://img.ochreeditions.com/m/504.jpg?dl=1
- Image: https://img.ochreeditions.com/a/504/1920.jpg
- Giclée reproduction on Hahnemühle Photo Rag: 8 × 10 in $28; 11 × 14 in $38; 12 × 16 in $42; 16 × 20 in $56; 18 × 24 in $68; 20 × 30 in $86; 24 × 36 in $108
- Framed reproduction: 8 × 10 in $78; 11 × 14 in $98; 12 × 16 in $108; 16 × 20 in $138; 18 × 24 in $164; 20 × 30 in $208; 24 × 36 in $258
- Canvas reproduction: 8 × 10 in $58; 11 × 14 in $72; 12 × 16 in $79; 16 × 20 in $98; 18 × 24 in $118; 20 × 30 in $148
- Print-ready file: 8 × 10 in $2; 11 × 14 in $2; 12 × 16 in $3; 16 × 20 in $3; 18 × 24 in $3; 20 × 30 in $5; 24 × 36 in $5

Sizes stop where the museum's file would print below 150 pixels per inch. Everything sold is a reproduction, made to order. [Order a print](https://www.ochreeditions.com/art/portrait-of-dora-wheeler-cma-102578).