Catherine Walden was the wife of General Albert J. Myer, who established the Army Signal Corps during the Civil War. In this lively portrait, George Healy shows Mrs. Myer with a twinkle in her eye and a knowing grin. She exudes a warm personality that was likely a comfort to the politicians and top military officers she met during her husband’s service in the Civil War. Healy lived in Paris from 1872 to 1892, and made about thirty trips to America for portrait commissions.
