Midinette (Mary Jacobson)

Edgar Chahine

The French word "midinette" has a practical as well as a pejorative meaning, referring to both a saleswoman or assistant at a fashion house of Parisian origin. Chahine's line are loose and bold, complimenting the portrayal of a fashionable young woman whose modern outfit and confident posture overshadow the City of Lights in the background.

Chahine met Mary Jacobson in the early 1900s and she became his muse, frequent model and fiancée. They planned to get married as soon as their finances were stable. Chahine portrays her here (as he did with many of his female subjects) as being self-confident and quite capable of handling herself in any situation.

Two years after this portrait was done, in 1906, Mary Jacobson contracted tuberculosis and died, devastating Chahine. His friends, including the print publisher Edmond Sagot helped him recover his interest in printmaking.