Irish Girl (Mary Lavelle)

The present work was painted on Achill Island, during Robert Henri's visit to Ireland. Over the course of his trip, he painted many portraits of the local population; however, the subject of Irish Girl, Mary Lavelle, was most certainly one of his favorites. The Lavelles were one of the oldest clans on the island and believed to be of French descent. Nonetheless, Henri found Mary to be a perfect example of a young Irish girl and painted her on more than one occasion. In fact, in an August 1913 letter, Henri specifically spoke of her to his mother, writing, "I painted a girl today all dressed up--she came with her bountiful black hair on her shoulders--they wear their hair loose...She was very brown and red from the sun and had blue eyes--a full round mouth." (V.A. Leeds, Robert Henri: The Painted Spirit, exhibition catalogue, New York, 2005, p. 29).

In Irish Girl, the bright eyes, full mouth and dark hair Henri so admired inspire a portrait of striking color and expressive brushwork. The work captures Henri's fascination with Irish children and is a captivating example of the portraits for which the artist is known.