John Singer Sargent began his life in Florence, Italy, on January 12th, 1856, and he grew up abroad, as his parents became expatriates, leaving behind their home in Philadelphia to enjoy living and travelling through Europe. It was because of this that Sargent’s education was somewhat unconventional, for his study was mostly informal, and this may have contributed to his singular personality. Sargent’s early exposure to European art and culture certainly had a profound effect on him, and he was