The Eye of the Beholder

Among the most admired American female artists of the twentieth century, Peggy Bacon won early fame as a caricaturist, but also produced satirical prints, drawings, and book illustrations. In this drawing a woman views ancient figurines while preparing to powder her nose. Her outstretched arms echo the tiny figures' gestures, as if communing across the centuries. Such gentle humor arising from visual juxtapositions contrasts with the sharper type in Bacon's acerbic and insightful caricatures.