Thomas Pollock Anshutz, Summertime

Ethel Hannis, a popular model and one of Anshutz’s students at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts (PAFA), posed for this portrait. Here she serves as an allegory: the spring of youth has passed into the full bloom and sensuality of summer. She is prepared for an outing with a parasol and large fashionable hat, both of which will protect her from the bright summer sun. 

The artist conveys the idea that the annual cycle of the seasons and the broader cycle of life are intertwined. Woodmere acquired this work from the son of the artist, who was a Chestnut Hill resident.