Who is she and what inspired Johnson to paint her? We have no answers, which contributes to the mystery of the picture. We do know that Johnson thought enough of this large painting (almost 42 x 35 inches) to send it to major exhibitions in Chicago, Brooklyn, and Philadelphia in 1875 and 1876. The catalogues suggest that it was owned by the artist, and not for sale. It was still in Johnson's possession—along with several other ambitious and important pictures—when he died in 1906.

Pictured: Eastman Johnson, The Girl I Left Behind Me, The Girl I Left Behind Me, 1870-75; oil, 42 x 34 7/8 in. Smithsonian American Art Museum, Museum purchase made possible in part by Mrs. Alexander Hamilton Rice in memory of her husband and by Ralph Cross Johnson.

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