L'Inconnue de la Seine

The body of a young woman was pulled out of the River Seine in Paris around the late 1880s. Since the body showed no visible signs of violence, a suicide was suspected as the cause of death.

As the story goes, a pathologist at the Paris Morgue was so taken by her beauty that he felt compelled to make a wax plaster death mask of her face. It has been questioned whether the expression of the face could belong to a drowned person, and according to other accounts, the mask was taken from the daughter of a mask manufacturer in Germany.

Regardless, the beautiful serenity and enigmatic smile of the Drowned Girl/Drowned Woman has sparked curiosity and contemplation as well as serve as inspiration for artistic study and creation for more than a century.

11.5 x 8”