The authentic, celebrated portrait of Consuelo Vanderbilt by Helleu. In this exquisite pastel-on-canvas work, the artist captures one of the most famous fashion and style icons of the Belle Époque—the prominent American heiress who married the 9th Duke of Marlborough. Helleu masterfully uses the soft, velvety medium of pastel to accentuate her legendary, exceptionally long "swan-like" neck, poised posture, and delicate features. Seated in a gilded armchair with an open book in her lap and dressed in a diaphanous white gown, she is presented as the epitome of high-society grace, quiet intellect, and aristocratic elegance.