Portrait of Isabelle Lemonnier

Portrait of Isabelle Lemonnier (1879), at the Philadelphia Museum of Art, is one of the series of portraits Manet made of the jeweller's daughter with whom he was evidently captivated. This Philadelphia version joins related images in Dallas and elsewhere as part of a sustained artistic engagement with a particular sitter whose features and personality held Manet's interest across multiple sessions and years. The serial nature of these portraits—Manet returning to Isabelle again and again—gives them a biographical dimension that connects to the illustrated letters he wrote her and suggests an attachment that went beyond professional interest in a good subject.

As one of several Isabelle Lemonnier portraits, this work's particular contribution lies in how it captures a specific pose, expression, or accessory that distinguishes it from its companions. Manet's fluid, economical brushwork renders the sitter's face with characteristic directness, while the figure's dress and setting are handled with the confident summary treatment of his late portrait style.