One of the best-loved paintings in the Boston Museum of Fine Arts, the enormous canvas depicts the four daughters of an American family named Boit that Sargeant met in Paris in an unusual composition and style that harkens to the masterpiece Las Meninas by Velázquez. Hirschler (senior curator of paintings at the BMFA) has written a fascinating account of the painter and his subjects, describing Sargeant's life and career seamlessly with the story of the Boits and the creation of the painting. The small volume is well illustrated with color plates and many b&w images, including period photographs. Annotation ©2009 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)