By a Clear Pool, Wherein She Passioned to See Herself

Will Hicock Low · 1885

Medium

Gray and white gouache, with graphite, on cream wove card

Original size

46.2 × 34.7 cm (18 1/4 × 13 11/16 in.)

Currently held

Art Institute of Chicago

Movement

Impressionism

*By a Clear Pool, Wherein She Passioned to See Herself* is a quietly mesmerising work — a woman absorbed in her own reflection, rendered with the delicacy that only gouache and graphite on paper can produce. Will Hicock Low was among the most accomplished American painters of his generation to train in Paris, studying under Carolus-Duran alongside John Singer Sargent and absorbing the French academic tradition's emphasis on luminous, figure-centred composition. His work sits at the intersection of the Aesthetic Movement and American Renaissance decorative painting, placing beauty and mood above narrative — which gives pieces like this one an almost timeless, dreamlike quality. The archaic phrasing of the title, drawn from the literary language of Spenser and his contemporaries, signals Low's deep engagement with poetic allegory rather than straightforward scene-making. Low enjoyed a close friendship with Robert Louis Stevenson, illustrating several of the author's works — a connection that underscores his standing within the era's broader artistic and literary circles. The hand-painted oil reproduction translates the original's softness and tonal refinement into a format built to endure, honouring Low's handling of light and atmosphere while bringing the intimacy of this 1885 work into your space.