Joanna Hiffernan An Irishwoman who served as a model for James Whistler and Gustave Courbet from 1861 to 1868. Country: Ireland

Joanna Hiffernan: The Irish Model

Joanna Hiffernan, also known as Jo, was an Irish woman who served as a model for James Whistler and Gustave Courbet from 1861 to 1868. She was Whistler's favorite model and his lover. Some of the most famous paintings featuring Jo include Whistler's "Symphony in White, No. 1: The White Girl," "Symphony in White, No. 2," and "Symphony in White, No. 3," as well as Courbet's "The Beautiful Irish Girl" and "The Sleepers."

Joanna Hiffernan was born to Irish parents Patrick and Catherine Hiffernan around 1843. Whistler first encountered Joanna at a studio in Ratbone Place, London. She first posed for Whistler in his Paris studio on the Boulevard Batignolles for his painting "Symphony in White, No. 1: The White Girl." Over the next six years, she became his lover and model.

In a letter to Henri Fantin-Latour in 1861, Whistler described Joanna and the impossibility of capturing her in his painting "Wapping": "I tried to give her expression! Indeed, my friend! Real expression - if I could only describe her head - she has the most beautiful hair you have ever seen! Red, not golden or coppery - like a Venetian in my dreams! - her skin is golden-white or yellow if you wish..."

Whistler's family and acquaintances disapproved of his relationship with Joanna, as an unmarried woman serving as an artist's model was considered to be a prostitute at the time. Whistler's mother even suggested using an inheritance from one of Joanna's aunts to provide her with a more independent foundation. During his mother's visit to London, Joanna temporarily moved out of their shared living space.

Whistler adored Joanna Hiffernan, primarily for her appearance and red hair, which earned her the nickname "The Red-Haired Jo." His family and friends could not influence his feelings for her. It is possible that his fight with artist Alphonse Legros in 1863 was somehow connected to Jo. In 1865, Whistler introduced her to Gustave Courbet in Trouville, who painted "The Beautiful Irish Girl" and a sketch of Jo that same year. In 1866, while Whistler was in Valparaiso, he entrusted Joanna with selling his paintings. During this time, she referred to herself as Mrs. Abbott, taking Whistler's last name. In the same year, Joanna arrived in Paris to model for one of the nude women in Courbet's erotic painting "The Sleepers." She likely had a romantic relationship with Courbet at the time. Whistler left her after returning from Valparaiso.

Joanna lived in London for several years, and it was rumored that she took care of Whistler's illegitimate son, John, but little is known about him, and it is possible he never existed. Biographer Walter Greaves also mentioned another son of Whistler named Harry, but his existence is also undocumented. Whistler's son, Charles Hanson Whistler, was born in 1870 to Louise Fanny Hanson and briefly lived with Joanna Hiffernan at her sister Bridget Agnes Hiffernan's place. During Whistler's trip to Venice with his then-lover Maud Franklin in the summer of 1880, Joanna took care of his son. That same year, Whistler sent a letter to his son, sending regards to Aunt Jo. Little is known about Joanna Hiffernan's life after 1880.

In a letter dated December 18, 1882, Juliette Courbet, Gustave Courbet's wife, mentioned meeting a beautiful Irish girl in Nice who was selling antiques and some of Courbet's paintings. She was referred to as Mademoiselle Abbott. Whistler's lover, Maud Franklin, also adopted the last name Abbott after marrying an American named R. H. S. Abbott and moving to Cannes.

The last mention of Joanna Hiffernan was by Charles Freer, who saw a woman spend about an hour by Whistler's coffin after his death and recognized her through her eyes and hair. He identified her as Jo. During their time together, Whistler wrote numerous letters to Joanna and made sketches of her. She also appeared on his paintings, portraying various female characters. The most famous paintings featuring Joanna are the three works known as the "Symphonies in White."

Gustave Courbet first painted Joanna Hiffernan in autumn 1865 when she and Whistler arrived in Trouville on the Normandy coast. Courbet lived in one of the apartments in the casino and provided private painting lessons. That year, he created the famous painting "The Beautiful Irish Girl," depicting Jo holding a mirror in her left hand and playing with her hair with the right. Courbet skillfully depicted her vibrant red hair, capturing the viewer's attention. Courbet made four copies of the painting, which are currently displayed in various museums. In the same year, he painted a second portrait of Jo titled "Portrait of Jo," this time with her hair pulled back.

In 1866, Courbet created his famous erotic painting "The Sleepers," for which Joanna Hiffernan was one of the models. Both women in the painting are naked and lie embraced on a white sheet-covered bed, creating the illusion of a lesbian love scene. The torn pearl necklace and disheveled sheets further enhance this impression.

There is no consensus regarding whether Joanna Hiffernan was the model for Courbet's scandalous painting "The Origin of the World." The painting, commissioned by Turkish diplomat Halil-Bey, depicts a woman's pubic area covered in hair as she lies on a bed with her legs spread. The angle chosen by the artist obscures the woman's face, leaving only her stomach and breasts, with a prominent nipple visible. The painting was created in the same year as "The Sleepers," when Jo was a favorite model for Courbet, making it plausible that he used her as a model. However, there is no factual evidence to support this claim, and the black hair in the painting raises doubts among critics about whether it belongs to the red-haired Jo.