Missilonghi from Patras (from Sketchbook)

Art Historical Context

In 1904, American artist Mary Newbold captured a serene landscape view in her sketchbook with *Missilonghi from Patras*, a delicate graphite drawing on paper measuring just 5¼ x 8¼ inches. From the bustling port city of Patras on Greece's Peloponnese peninsula, the sketch gazes toward Missilonghi (modern Mesolonghi) across the Gulf of Patras, highlighting distant mountains that dominate the horizon. This intimate work, now housed in The Metropolitan Museum of Art's American Wing, reflects the era's fascination with European travel among American artists, evoking the Grand Tour tradition extend...

About the Artist

Mary Newbold Sargent · 1826–1906

Mary Newbold Sargent (née Singer, 1826–1906) was born on April 24, 1826, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, to John Singer, a tanner and merchant, and Mary Smith Newbold. She married Dr. FitzWilliam Sargent, an eye surgeon, on June 27, 1850, in Philadelphia. The death of their first daughter, Mary Newbold Sargent (1851–1853), triggered a profound emotional crisis for Mary, prompting the family to aban...