Drypoint, circa 1900. 565x350 mm; 22 1/4x13 3/4 inches, wide margins. Signed in pencil, lower right. A superb impression of this large print, with richly-inked, velvety black drypoint.
Helleu (1859-1927) and his friend, American artist John Singer Sargent, were amoung the most sought after society portraitists of the Belle Epoque. He met Whistler through the second Impressionist exhibition at Paul Durand-Ruel's gallery in Paris in 1876.
The hundreds of drypoint and etched portraits that Helleu created at the turn of the century, with their boldly-rendered figures set in stark contrast to white backgrounds, are similar to Whistler's portraits of the 1860s/ 1870s, such as Bibi Lalouette (lots 51 and 52) and Drouet (lot 58).
