An intimate portrait of Joanna Hiffernan, Irish model and romantic partner of James McNeill Whistler, painted during their joint stay in Trouville in late 1865. Courbet modernizes the traditional "woman with a mirror" and vanitas motifs, stripping away moralizing symbolism to emphasize physical presence and tactile reality. Captivated by the volume and copper hue of her hair, Courbet painted four versions of the composition. The canvas epitomizes Realism through its rich impasto, heavy physical modeling, and rejection of academic idealism.