Although Despiau served as Auguste Rodin’s studio assistant for seven years, his own work exhibits a planar simplicity that is more in keeping with the work of Aristide Maillol (also on view in this gallery). Despiau achieved sufficient critical success to receive several important public commissions as well as official appointments, such as the vice-president of the Salon des Tuileries. However, most of his output consisted of portraits like this one. The sitter, a native of Santa Barbara, was married to the painter, Edward Bruce (1879-1943), who is, perhaps, best remembered for his efforts to employ artists through Federal programs supported under the New Deal during the Great Depression.