Passport Photograph of Edith Schiele, c. 1916

Edith Harms (1893–1918) was the second daughter born into a solid middle-class family, and was educated at a convent school. When Egon Schiele (1890–1918) met Edith in 1914, he was still in a relationship with his long-standing partner and muse Wally Neuzil (1894–1917). At Edith’s express wish, Egon separated from Wally before their wedding. The marriage with Edith allowed Egon to return to the milieu of the bourgeoisie, from which he had been removed especially on account of his “concubinage” with Wally. While Wally had previously been his preferred model, Edith increasingly featured in the artist’s works from 1914. Her direct gaze as well as her hairstyle in this passport photograph are strongly reminiscent of the 1915 work Portrait of the Artist’s Wife, Standing (Edith Schiele in Striped Dress) (Kunstmuseum Den Haag), a preliminary study for which is housed by the Leopold Museum Edith Schiele in Striped Dress, Standing.

LVD, 2024