“Pinkie” at the Huntington Library

Suddenly there she stands – the glorious, exuberant “Pinkie.” And the longer I remain at the foot of her portrait, the lighter my heart becomes as I soak in the joy of the moment.

Here is a little girl on the verge of womanhood. Her lustrous shell-colored satin bonnet trails matching ribbons flying in the wind. She is at once casual and elegant. Childlike and mature as any 11 year old would appear to be.

Even if you’ve seen a print of this oil you’ve not yet seen the soft delicate shades the artist brushed into the original. Photos and color plates often show the clouds as menacing and dark – they’re not. Some prints show them tinged with red and orange – they are not that either. Instead the fragile blue and frothy white clouds dance and shimmer in lively strokes that caress the canvas.

A bright breeze blows the diaphanous cream-colored fabric of her gown aside to expose the pointed toe of her little black shoe.

She stands at the edge of the sea in front of a horizon so low she seems perched on a pedestal. One arm is crooked at the elbow behind her back and the other twists around the front of her bodice. The visual pun of her extended little “pinkie” finger is amusing but the gesture is a natural part of her casual pose.

This is a portrait of Sarah Barrett Moulton by Thomas Lawrence (1794). She was a member of the prosperous Barrett family from Jamaica and wasrelated to the poet Elizabeth Barrett Browning. Her brother Edward was the poet’s father, and Sarah would have been Elizabeth’s aunt – had she lived.

“Pinkie” is often thought of in tandem with Thomas Gainsborough’s “The Blue Boy”. Yet two different artists painted them some 24 years apart. Even the costumes are are 150 years apart in fashion. In fact the only common element they share is the gallery at the Huntington Estate in San Marino, CA.

For me, “Pinkie” is the crown jewel of the vast collections of The Huntington. To discover it in the cool green gallery of the family mansion after wandering through the 120 acres of woods and gardens of the estate on a warm spring day in June was a delight. Other works include Harriet Hosmer’s larger than life sculpture Zenobia In Chains (1859), and Frederic Church’s painting “Chimborazo” (1864).

The Huntington Library has an amazing collection of books including an original Gutenberg Bible, a Chaucer manuscript and thousands of other literary treasures.

There are over a dozen different gardens to stroll, including the Children’s Garden, Desert Garden, Herb Garden, Rose garden and Jungle Garden. All are easily accessible to strollers and wheelchairs.

Dozens of films have been shot in these lush gardens – from Mame (1974) to G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra (2009). You can even take your own pictures on the grounds and inside the exhibits. (No flash, please)

The Huntington Library, Art Collections and Botanical Gardens are located in San Marino near Pasadena California. Its library contains over 6.5 million books, many of which are rare. The botanic gardens represent several cultures and themes. Refreshments are available on the grounds. The Huntington is located at 1151 Oxford Road, San Marino, CA. It is open Monday, Wednesday-Friday, noon-4:30 pm; Saturday-Sunday, 10:30 am-4:30 pm. Summer hours: Monday, Wednesday-Sunday 10:30 am-4:30 pm. Admission is $15 Adults, Seniors $12 on weekdays; slightly higher on weekends. Students $6 any day, and children under 5 free. Visit their website at www.huntington.org.

Mary Anne is a retired nurse who traded in her stethoscope for a digital camera and a keyboard. Anywhere you go, you’ll find that people are the same, yet with a local flavor that keeps things interesting. Language is no barrier – a smile and a handshake are good currency everywhere. Visit her website at www.travelonz.com.

Written by Mary Anne Lonze