Richard Howard, "Portrait of Pierre Loti by Henri Rousseau, 1906 (Kunsthaus Zurich)" (1984)

The full title of this painting (oil on canvas, 61 x 50 cm) by Henri Rousseau is in fact "Portrait de Monsieur X (Pierre Loti)." It was acquired by the Kunsthaus Zürich in 1940.

Editorial Note

This is the first part of a poem entitled "Impersonations." The second part is entitled "Loti Costumed as Osiris, photograph by Montastier, 1906 (Musée Carnavalet, Paris)" (57–60).