Laura Dreyfus Barney: A Portraitist of Souls The early twentieth century witnessed a quiet revolution in portraiture, one driven by a desire to capture not just likeness but the very essence of a subject’s being. Within this movement emerged Laura Dreyfus Barney (née Laura Clifford Barney), an American artist whose work stands apart through its profound empathy and strikingly intimate depictions of women – particularly those who defied societal expectations. Born in Cincinnati in 1879, into a family steeped in both artistic and industrial heritage, Barney’s life was one of intellectual curio…