Portrait of Paul Verlaine

1892

French poet Paul Verlaine’s head seems to loom from the darkness. In 1892, the poet visited Witsen’s studio and had his portrait taken. He met writers and painters in the Netherlands, such as Jan Toorop and Isaac Israels. In Amsterdam, he saw Dam Square and the ‘black, ponderous’ urban palace. On the bustling Kalverstraat (‘rue des veaux’) he found ‘wonderful’ shops with ‘chaotic’ window displays, quite a contrast with Paris.