Portrait of Victoria Dubourg, the Artist’s Wife (study), 1873

Henri Fantin-Latour is a quiet, solitary artist who works on paintings in his studio. The critic and painter Jacques-Emile Blanche describes him as a difficult person to approach, who liked to leave his visitors waiting at the door for a few minutes, hoping they would leave. This attitude could explain why the majority of the many portraits he produced were figure subjects, portraying the intimate circle of family and close friends. Although the model of Portrait of a young woman is unknown, it is possible that she is the artist's sister or his future wife, Victoria Dubourg. The caption Etude, applied to the back of the canvas presumably by the artist himself, confirms the ephemeral nature of the canvas. Nevertheless, this unfinished work also reveals the artist's accurate hand. The subdued use of colour, the psychological distance and the absence of any form of anecdote illustrate Fantin-Latour's individuality as a portraitist.