John Singer Sargent, born to American parents in Florence, Italy (1856), was considered the leading portrait painter of his era. In 1884, he exhibited in Paris what would eventually be considered a masterpiece; at the time, Paris society hated the painting and his reputation suffered. He fled to London.

Sargent named the portrait "Madame X" and the only thing that exists of the original as it hung in the Paris salon is a photograph. The artist repainted the original (with right shoulder strap in place), which now hangs in the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.

The painting was viewed as scandalous, but seems very mild compared to today's standards for modesty and indecency. I've written a flash fiction piece based on this...a very short story that I, too, call Madame X. Thanks for reading, and if you're interested in more short stories, I've shared a few on this blog. Just check out the links to the right on my blog. As always, copyright applies (©Veronica Randolph Batterson).

To read this short story, please visit my blog at http://www.veronicarbatterson.blogspo.... Thanks for reading.