The image above is of Katherine Tynan, a prolific Irish writer and friend of WB Yeats, from the portrait painted by John Butler Yeats, his father.

And here is the artist in an extract from my novel A Life Before, thinking about his sitter, mediated by the narrator, Rosy Cross.

Miss Tynan did not possess a dainty face. Her nose was a trifle too long, like like a fencepost standing too proud in a field, and her mouth was too earnest. Her eyes—her best feature, the color of dew on grass—were hidden behind spectacles that near swallowed up her face. And she wore her hair cut short in the advanced style, like she’d had a run-in with a sheep shearer. For JB, the hair had an audacity too modern for his taste, though his daughters thought Miss Tynan’s hair was marvellous, when taken with her fine clothes. He was glad neither of his girls had taken to the scissors in such fashion.

After five minutes in Miss Tynan’s company, you forgot all about haircuts and noses, and what you noticed was how neat her figure was, and perfectly proportioned, and how her hands moved like dancers, full of expression. The girl had presence, through which shone a soft wish to please, a longing for attention. That was what he hoped to capture in his portrait.

In a different society, one that did not demand display and dazzle  from its women, her grave cheerfulness would have won her many suitors.

Katherine Tynan (1859-1931) was an Irish poet, novelist, and journalist, known for her prolific literary output and her involvement in the Irish Literary Revival.

Born in Dublin, she published over a hundred books, including poetry collections, novels, and memoirs, often focusing on Irish themes, Catholicism, and women's issues.

Her work resonated with readers in Ireland and abroad, particularly the Catholic Irish community in the US.

Tynan shared a close friendship and creative relationship with W.B. Yeats, whom she met in 1885.
Katherine Tynan, affectionately called “Katy” by W.B. Yeats, held literary gatherings, or “at-homes,” at her father’s residence in Clondalkin, near Dublin. Her father, Andrew Tynan, was supportive of her literary interests and encouraged her to cultivate a network with other writers, thinkers, and artists. These gatherings became a lively forum for discussing literature, poetry, and Irish cultural issues, attracting a circle of like-minded individuals.

It was at one of these gatherings that Charles Oldham, a mutual acquaintance and literary enthusiast, introduced W.B. Yeats to Tynan. Here is that scene from A Life Before

It was the ever-dramatic Charles Oldham who brought W.B. to meet Katy Tynan at one of her Sunday at-homes, presenting him like he was a curiosity from a far-flung colony.

“I have another genius for you, Miss Tynan,” he said, and he started in on a cheerful sketch of his friend’s antecedents. “Father: a man of genius, a painter. Has the blood of the Ormonde Butlers in his veins. Was one of the most promising juniors of his day at the Bar till he chucked it all in order to take up painting. Hopelessly impractical. Will paint a portrait of you out of hand if he likes you, but won't paint you for money if he doesn’t.”’

Miss Tynan looked at the young man, six years her junior, with a soft, almost maternal, interest. He was tall and thin as a sapling, and he had a half-distracted look, like he’d misplaced some great secret just beyond the reach of his mind.

“Your father sounds like just the kind of man to have a poet for a son,” she said, smiling at him.

“Mother: a Pollexfen of Sligo,” Oldham continued. “Roots entwined in coast of the rugged West of Ireland. Grandfather transitioned from life on the sea to a life of commerce. And as you can see, at some time or other there must have crept into the Pollexfens something of the Spaniard, so often seen in neighbouring Galway. How else can  we explain this olive skin and shock of black hair?”

W.B. was bearing Oldham’s treatment of him as if he were some prize exhibit with good humour, but also gave the impression that the might up and vanish any second.

This initial meeting sparked a deep friendship between the two poets. They bonded over their shared passion for poetry and Irish cultural identity, and Tynan became one of his earliest supporters.

W.B., in turn, admired her work, especially at the beginning of their relationship, when she was more established than him.

They often corresponded about literature, mysticism, and the emerging Irish cultural movement.

Their relationship had its tensions, as Tynan held traditional religious views that sometimes clashed with Yeats’s mystical inclinations. However, they maintained a lasting friendship that influenced both their works.

She was also friendly with the Yeats sisters, Lillie and Lolly, and she admired John Butler Yeats Snr, their father, describing him as a charming and witty conversationalist, with a lively intellect and a keen sense of humor.

Tynan appreciated his deep insights and his openness to discussing art, literature, and ideas, which she found both inspiring and stimulating while he was painting her portrait, in particular.