Jo's Bent Head. 1861. Drypoint. Kennedy 78.ii; Glasgow 88.ii/iii. 9 x 5 7/8 (sheet 16 x 10). Glasgow records 25 known proofs. A rich impression with subtle tonal wiping, printed on fine cream laid paper. There was no published edition of this extremely rare etching. Unsigned. Housed in an archival French mat and a 17 1/2 x 14 1/2-inch gold frame. $12,500.
Joanna 'Jo' Hiffernan (ca. 1843 - after 1903) was an Irish artists' model and muse. Whistler first met her in 1860 while she was at a studio in Rathbone Place. Subsequently they had a 6-year relationship with him, during which period she modeled for some of his most famous paintings and prints
