Marguerite Thompson Zorach (1887-1968)

In The Picnic, Marguerite Zorach applies her unique Folk Art-influenced style of Modernism to form a tapestry-like composition of some of her closest friends and family members. Set in a landscape resembling her summer home in Robinhood, Maine, the artist herself can be seen reclining at lower left. Next to her, in a blue dress, sits her friend and dealer Edith Halpert of the influential Downtown Gallery. The man with the camera at upper right is thought to be Edith's husband, Samuel Halpert, and the kneeling man at center has been identified by scholars as either the artist's husband, William Zorach, or the curator Eddie Cahill. The Zorach children, Tessim and Dahlov, can be seen climbing a tree at upper left.