Sitter

r.: Demon, Munson-Williams-Proctor Institute

The demon was probably an actor, seen on visits by Whistler and friends to see Henry James Byron's burlesque Little Dr Faust, at the Gaiety Theatre in January 1878. Whistler drew and painted several subjects related to these performances (r.: Masked girl wearing a head-dress skipping; v.: Dancer [M.0663], Souvenir of the Gaiety [M.0664], r.: Nellie Farren; v.: Demon [M.0665], r.: Demon; v.: Two sketches of Nellie Farren [M.0666], and Harmony in Blue: The Duet [YMSM 196].