They were featuring Alfred Hutty in their "Artist Spotlight" collection, paying tribute to the local artist through his various watercolors, sketches, and oil paintings. Another part of the museum focused on local modern artists, such as Jasper Johns. We walked some more and stumbled upon more classic paintings, especially portraiture. I yawned and pressed onward. Then, my mother beckoned me. "Isn't this Amelie Gautreau?" she asked me excitedly. I commended her for her temporary art history buff status and attempted to plop myself down in front of Gautreau's stunning figure.

But alas, sit and stare I could not. There were no benches to be had. In fact, I had missed the painting in the first place because of its awful corner location. This larger-than-life portrait with its impressive contrast and notable subject wasn't even the focal point of the exhibit. Antonio de la Gandara had painted it in 1897, years after the Madame X ordeal. He made great effort to flatter the then 38-year-old social butterfly by placing emphasis on her distinct facial features and graceful being, rather than her aging body. For this reason, Antonio de la Gandara's Madame Pierre Gautreau became Amelie's favorite that she hung in her room. Ironically enough, this socialite who had once been the center of the Parisian universe has been reduced to a corner of a small museum in South Carolina. Madame X must be rolling in her grave about that horrific faux pas.