Virginia Gerson Biography

Author and Illustrator Virginia Gerson (1864-1951) was the sister-in-law of American Impressionist artist William Merritt Chase.

Chase met his future wife Alice and her two sisters, Virginia and Minnie, in about 1880. The sisters were familiar with Chase's painting 'Ready for the Ride' and were anxious to meet him. They were introduced to Chase by a friend of their father, Julius Gerson. Julius had been active in the dry goods business but more recently had become a manager of the art department of the prominent lithographic firm Louis Prang and Company.

The Gerson home during the 1870s and early 1880s became something of a salon where artists and writers would congregate and, after his introduction to the Gerson family, Chase would often attend. The Gerson sisters would also visit Chase in his studio and occasionally posed for him.