James McNeill Whistler. Finette. 1859. United States. Etching and drypoint in black on ivory Japanese paper Actors, singers, chorus girls, and dancers were popular subjects for artists of the period. Josephine Durwend, a cancan dancer who performed in London and Paris from the 1850s to the 1870s, was known as Finette. Despite her immodest costumes in contemporary photographs and her reputation for vulgar language and drunkenness, Whistler chose to depict her tastefully dressed and standing in a dignified pose.

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Size: 2101px × 3000px
Photo credit: © WBC ART / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No

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