Robert Henri

The present work depicts the wife of Dr. Arthur Bond Cecil, a renowned urological surgeon in Los Angeles. Born in Millersville, Maryland, in 1885, Cecil began his career in 1913 at the Good Samaritan Hospital in Los Angeles and later in 1932 transferred to the Los Angeles County General Hospital where he worked until 1936. In correspondence between Dr. Cecil and the artist discussing the prospective commission of this portrait, on December 14, 1921, the artist established, "I must have the leeway as to time and sittings to make a thing that will satisfy me. I do not want to undertake a portrait unless I have every opportunity to make it as good as I can." Upon completion of the portrait, Henri wrote to Dr. and Mrs. Cecil how incredibly grateful he was for their time spent together as they grew to become close friends.