Portraiture became a mysterious glimpse into one's private life, bringing with it a story that intrigued viewers of every class. But the question remains: how did the artist reveal the subject without straying away from the intention of the painting? A painted portrait was the ultimate status symbol, and an artist could not reflect his subject in a bad light. Additionally, the unveiling of Manet's Olympia sparked a paranoia among affluent women - sparking controversy did not serve as a mark of popularity in the elite circles of European society.

Thus, only a truly skilled artist could execute a portrait that (a) met the expectations of its commissioner, and (b) had a distinct quality that instigated interest and acclaim. Carolus-Duran's Lady with the Glove serves as the perfect example of enlightened portraiture. The practically empty background draws the viewer to the beauty of its subject (which happens to be Duran's wife), and allows his gifted technique to shine in the intricacy of her dress and the life-like glint in her chestnut eyes. Yet what distinguished this portrait from the hundreds of others that had been submitted for entrance to the 1869 Paris Salon? Answer: a glove. The woman has mysteriously shed a pearly white glove from her right hand, and seems to be caught in the act of removing the other, as a single red flower lies on her tiny wrist. Suddenly, this seemingly somber image transforms into the epitome of seduction. Lady with the Glove provides the same sexy intentions of Olympia without offending the Parisian artistic community - a mark only given to the most skilled portraits. 

Though Carolus-Duran's portrait of his wife received praise, the sign of a truly revolutionary painting is the attempt by other artists to mimic its artistic inventiveness. Lady with the Glove was no exception to this. John Singer Sargent, Carolus-Duran's most skilled pupil, used the ideals of Lady with the Glove to complete his portrait of Amelie Gautreau. Sargent produced numerous sketches of Paris's most-celebrated American socialite, yet only one captured the same intoxicating combination of tact and seduction portrayed in Carolus-Duran's work. The simple slipping of a dress strap revealed the sexual liberty of Madame X. Despite its intense controversy, Sargent honed in on the qualities of nineteenth century portraiture exhibited in Lady with the Glove - simplicity tinged with one small attribute that left audiences guessing.