Self-Portrait (Bonjour Mlle Cone)

Claribel and Etta Cone were born in Baltimore in 1864 and 1870. Two daughters from a large family of German Jewish immigrants, neither sister ever married. Instead the two traveled and met artists and writers; resulting in the formation of an important collection of modern art, which Etta Cone ultimately bequeathed to the Baltimore Museum of Art. Upon eventually meeting the artist himself and seeing his work, the sisters were avid collectors of Picasso; especially his works on paper. In this particular drawing, Picasso portrays himself dressed neatly in a formal jacket with his top hat in hand. He mailed the drawing, inscribed “Bonjour Mlle Cone” at the top, to Etta after she had returned to Baltimore in 1907. It is likely that Picasso depicted himself in the way that Etta would classify him as most respectable and acceptable to: sans the bohemian sailor shirt, known as his virtual uniform
SKU: 4284
Creator: Pablo Picasso
Date: 1907
Original Medium: pen and brown ink
Original Size: 8 5/16 x 5 ½ in
Location: Baltimore Museum of Art
© Succession Picasso 2011