(American, 1834-1903)

La Jolie New Yorkaise (C.99, W.61), 1894, a portrait of Miss Maude Alice Burke, her copy aside from a rare edition of 25 of which only seven were signed, signed lower left in ink with Whistler's butterfly monogram and inscribed "To Miss Maud Burke", inscribed lower right with title La Jolie New Yorkaise-Louis XV", additionally signed in stone middle left, transfer lithograph on paper, image, 12-7/8 x 7-1/2 in.; gilt wood frame, 17-1/8 x 13-1/8 x 1 in.

Provenance: Private Collection

Note: Created during one of the happiest periods of James McNeill Whistler's life, these intimate lithographs reflect the tranquility of his Paris home on the rue du Bac, where he lived with his wife, Beatrix. Surrounded by a distinguished circle that included the Symbolist poet Stephane Mallarme and prominent visitors such as Maud Burke (later Lady Cunard), Whistler found inspiration in both his domestic life and the artistic milieu of fin-de-siècle Paris. Executed in black and white on transfer paper, these works reveal his mastery of lithography and his fascination with atmosphere, light, and quiet moments of everyday life. Their serene interiors, often featuring the reclining figure of Beatrix, stand among the most personal and evocative images of his career, poignantly capturing a fleeting period of happiness before her final illness.

Born Maude Alice Burke in California, Lady Cunard (1876-1948) married Sir Bache Edward Cunard, Third Baronet, and grandson of the founder of the Cunard Steamship Line, in 1895, She played a significant role in London's cultural life, advocating for the development of a national opera and serving as a director of Covent Garden.

References: Britt Salvesen, "At Home in Paris: The Rue du Bac." Museum Studies 24, no. 1, Songs on Stone: James McNeill Whistler and the Art of Lithography, The Art Institute of Chicago, 1998, pp. 92–105.