The Lady Driver

Charles Mark Relyea was an American illustrator for magazines and popular novels. He studied under Thomas Eakins at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts and under Frank Vincent DuMond at the Art Students League in New York before completing his training in Paris. Relyea captures a confident female driver out for a country drive with what looks to be a large country home or possibly farm on the horizon. Her short hair and comfortable driving stance underscore her modernity and relaxed confidence as a woman and a driver. There is little focus on the automobile itself and the viewers’ attention is clearly drawn to the driver in question and the beautiful countryside on a summer’s day.