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License Agreement on scientific materials use.
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John Singer Sargent’s portrait painting and the problem of cultural legitimation of the American elite
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Jia Zeng
Saint Petersburg State University
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Submitted:
June 25, 2026
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Abstract.
The aim of the study is to demonstrate that John Singer Sargent’s portraiture (1856-1925), in the context of the Gilded Age (1870s – early 20th century), functioned not only as a genre of representation but also as a key mechanism of cultural legitimation for the American elite. The article examines the socio‑historical conditions under which the economic power of new American wealth needed translation into the language of recognized taste, cosmopolitan education, European artistic tradition, and public patronage. The scientific novelty of the work lies in interpreting the artist’s output not as a passive reflection of “high society” but as an active mediating practice that transformed economic capital into cultural and symbolic capital. The study shows that the legitimizing effect of Sargent’s portrait is built on three interconnected strategies: the Europeanization of American wealth through references to the old masters and Parisian norms of artistic recognition; the museumification of private identity via interiors, collections, and historical allusions; and the projection of status into the public sphere – from private homes to museums and the national canon of taste.
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Key words and phrases:
Джон Сингер Сарджент
культурный капитал
Позолоченный век
трансатлантическая элита
парадный портрет
John Singer Sargent
cultural capital
Gilded Age
transatlantic elite
formal/parade portrait
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