Sitter

Souvenir of the Gaiety, Private Collection

The sketch probably relates to visits by Whistler and friends to see Ellen ('Nellie') Farren (1848-1904) and Ellen Terry (1847-1928) in John Hollingshead's farce The Grasshopper, and 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], r.: Nellie Farren; v.: Demon [M.0665], r.: Demon; v.: Two sketches of Nellie Farren [M.0666], r.: Two sketches of Nellie Farren; v.: Studies of two actors or actresses, one playing a banjo [M.0667], r.: Demon; v.: Young woman [M.0668], and Harmony in Blue: The Duet [YMSM 196].