Bust of a Young Girl (recto); Profile of a Young Girl (verso)

Art Historical Context

This delicate double-sided drawing by French artist Paul Adolphe Rajon captures the quiet grace of youth through two studies of a young girl. Created in 1886, the recto presents a bust-length executed in red chalk transfer, while the verso offers a profile view rendered directly in red chalk on gray wove paper. Rajon, celebrated for his reproductive etchings after old masters and contemporary painters, here demonstrates his mastery of chalk as a medium for intimate, tonal studies. The choice of red chalk, or sanguine, lends a warm, lifelike quality to the figures, allowing subtle gradations of light and shadow that evoke classical drawing traditions from the Renaissance through the 19th century. Measuring just over 12 by 9 inches, the sheet’s compact scale invites close viewing, revealing the artist’s sensitivity to contour and expression. As a work in the Prints and Drawings department at the Art Institute of Chicago, it highlights Rajon’s technical versatility during a period when printmaking was undergoing revival. Such drawings often served as preparatory studies or explorations of form, bridging painting and print processes. The dual images on a single sheet offer visitors a glimpse into an artist’s working method, where one side may represent a transferred design and the other a freer sketch.