Hold Still

Hold Still is set in 1860s London and Paris, and is a fictional account of a short period in the life of Joanna Hiffernan, the muse and model of both James Whistler and Gustave Courbet. Joanna, or Jo, as she is called by those who love her, left behind a few intriguing traces: being captured in now famous paintings such as Whistler's Symphony in White, No.1: The White Girl and Courbet's La Belle Irlandaise, as well as being mentioned in Whistler's and Courbet's letters. From this information Cherry Smyth has created a fascinating picture of what must have been a remarkable woman. How did a young girl, just seventeen when she met Jim Whistler, admittedly with beautiful red hair, inspire talented painters to create these wonderful paintings which made their name?