Josephine Nivision Hopper was Edward Hopper’s wife and the model for A Woman in the Sun. She was in her 70’s by the time Hopper painted the painting, but he made her look younger for the purpose of the painting.He had a vision of what this painting meant. Jo, as she was called, was integral in Hopper’s success. He was the only model he would use for his paintings. She was a successful artist for sixteen years when they were first married, and was able to help him sell his paintings, the first being in 1924. This happened at a show where Jo was showing her own paintings and insisted he show his paintings too. She would even somewhat give up her own painting career to run books for all the paintings Edward had sold. While she gave up her career for Edward, she never stopped painting. The two would even paint together, sometimes creating similar or identical scenes. Above is a painting titled Self Portrait done by Jo. Jo was the driving force for Hopper’s career. If not for Jo’s dedication to Edward, he would not have had the opportunity to sell as many paintings as he did, therefore, he would not have had the success he had.

Hopper, Josephine Self Portrait. Date unkown. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Josephine_Nivison_Hopper,_Self_Portrait.jpg. Accessed 2 April 2023.