Artwork
Study of a girl in a hat with a little feather

Study of a girl in a hat with a little feather is an unspecified painting by the Post-Impressionist artist Olga Boznańska. It dates from 1899 and is held in the collection of the National Museum in Warsaw.
About this work
Overview
Olga Boznańska’s 1899 oil on canvas, titled *Study of a Girl in a Hat with a Little Feather*, presents a solitary young figure rendered against a muted, dark backdrop. The work is part of the collection of the National Museum in Warsaw, where it is displayed among the artist’s late‑nineteenth‑century portraits.
Subject & Meaning
The composition centers on a girl whose hair is gathered back and whose gaze is directed away from the viewer, conveying a restrained, contemplative mood. A dark hat crowned with a single white feather draws attention to the head, while the plain background isolates the figure, emphasizing her expression and attire rather than any narrative context.
Technique & Style
Boznańska employs a vigorous brushwork that leaves the paint surface visibly textured; the impasto creates a tactile quality, especially in the hat and feather. The thick, gestural strokes suggest a swift handling of the medium, allowing areas of the canvas to remain loosely defined and contributing to the work’s overall sense of immediacy.
History & Provenance
Executed at the close of the 1890s, the painting reflects Boznańska’s mature period of portraiture. It entered the National Museum in Warsaw’s holdings in the early twentieth century, where it has remained a representative example of her approach to psychological portraiture and her use of expressive paint handling.
Artist & collection
Artist
Olga Boznańska (15 April 1865 – 26 October 1940) was a Polish painter who was stylistically associated with the French impressionism, though she rejected this label.



















