Mostly known today for the vigorous line used in his drypoints to sketch portaits of elegant women, Paul-César Helleu (1859-1927) is much more than that.  A very fine draftsman and painter, Helleu left behind an immense oeuvre.  However, due to his predilection for the immediacy of drypoint, and the ease he had to draw, his many hundreds of portraits of women are what he is mostly known for today.  His drypoints were printed in small editions of 5, 10 or 20.  Many of these portraits are of his wife and children.  Elegance is always the driving force of Helleu’s line.