Signed at lower right in black ink, "Ruiz," and in graphite, "Picasso / 1901."
Watermark: A. Lepage ainé Tochon Lepage.
This portrait of popular actress Marie-Louise Derval is one of four illustrations of Parisian entertainers by Picasso published under the heading “Catcalls and Capers” in the humorous journal "Le Frou-Frou" in September 1901. Based on sketches made from life in theaters and cabarets, these drawings have an expressionist style reminiscent of the graphic work of Toulouse-Lautrec and Munch. Although the artist had begun signing his paintings Picasso--his mother's name--a year earlier, for these magazine illustrations he reverted to his father's name, Ruiz, for fear of compromising his reputation as a serious artist. (The second signature was added later.)