In May 1897 Stéphane Mallarmé (1842-1898) discussed with Paul Henri Mégnin (1868-1952) the possibility of contributing a few pages to a book on cats, and promised a picture of his elderly cat 'Lilith'. Lillith was drawn by Whistler on 14 August 1898 at Mallarmé's house at Valvins-sur-Marne. Next day, Mallarmé wrote to Mégnin:

'Quant à la photographie de ma Lilith, maintenant bien vieille, jadis personne superbe, elle n'est plus à faire... et même on n'a jamais pu la prendre, cette photographie, malgré cent essais, tant la bête a peur des inventions humaines .... Reste à vous confier, ... un dessin à l'encre qu'en vain dernièrement essaya Whistler, le modèle disparu déjà sous un lit avant que le grand peintre eut rien tracé si bien que l'indication poursuivie.'

[Freely translated:] 'As for the photograph of my Lilith, now very old, but formerly a superb creature, it cannot be done ... despite a hundred attempts, because the animal is so afraid of human inventions .... It remains to confide to you, ... an ink drawing that Whistler attempted in vain recently, the model had disappeared under a bed before the great painter had drawn more than a brief indication.' 1

This was Whistler's last meeting with Mallarmé, who died on 9 September. The drawing was published in Le Petit Bleu de Paris, two days after Mallarmé's death, with the explanation, 'Nous reproduisons ce petit portrait, par Whistler, de la fugitive Lilith, à l'intention de Mégnin, qui inspira au pauvre Mallarmé‚ le joli billet qu'on vient de lire'. In the following year, Mégnin used it, as intended, to accompany Mallarmé's text in Notre ami le chat.

Lillith, Whereabouts unknown

It is catalogued in MacDonald 1995 (cat. rais.) [more] (cat. no. 1546b).