TIFFANY, Mrs Perry (Emily Havemeyer; later Mrs Henry Godfrey)
Description:
Bust-length, profile facing right. Signed upper right.
Location:
Present whereabouts unknown
Exhibition:
M. KNOEDLER & CO., 170, Fifth Avenue (corner Twenty second Street), New York, February 1 – 15, 1894.
Bibliography:
The Figaro, Chicago, January 14, 1894
The Mail and Express, New York, Wednesday evening, January 31, 1894
New Yorker Staats Zeitung, February 4, 1894
New York Commercial Advertiser, February 9, 1894
Die Ostschweiz, St. Gallen, Switzerland,Tuesday, February 13, 1894
Urner Wochenblatt, Altdorf, Switzerland, February 17, 1894
New York Commercial Advertiser, March 14, 1894
New York Commercial Advertiser, April 24, 1894
New York Commercial Advertiser, April 25, 1894
The sitter was the daughter of Theodore Havemeyer. She married Perry Tiffany in New York on April 26, 1893; she married Henry Godfrey in London, England, on May 3, 1905. She had two girls from her first marriage, and three boys from her second.
The portrait was painted at the end of 1893 and completed by January 14, 1894, according to the Figaro, Chicago, of that date. A letter from the sitter, undated (artist’s papers), refers to this portrait:
‘Dear Mr. Ury:
Mr. Tiffany and myself send you our most sincere thanks for the lovely portrait, which arrived a few days ago. I should have written before now to tell you how delighted I was only I wished a few of my friends to see it so as to give you their opinion, as I was confident of their approval. Each one said it was a very good likeness, and beautifully done. Mr. Havemeyer thinks it perfect, and his opinion ought to be worth having, as he is a very critical judge. Thanking you again many times for my beautiful self.
I am sincerely, Marie H. Tiffany.’
