Study for a Portrait of Henrietta Moraes, 1969

Henrietta Moraes (1933–1999) was a close friend and drinking companion of Bacon's from the early 1960s, and became one of his favorite models. She never posed in person for him; instead he worked either from photographs commissioned from John Deakin or from memory. She was the muse and inspiration for many artists of the Soho subculture, including Lucian Freud, Bacon's friend. Bacon painted her at least sixteen times. She was a free spirit and led a generally hedonistic lifestyle. In the 1960's she reportedly consumed every drug except heroin.