Whistler first met Hiffernan in 1860 while she was at a studio in Rathbone Place .
She went on to have a 6 - year relationship with him , during which period she modelled for some of his most famous paintings .
Whistler first met Hiffernan in 1860 while she was at a studio in Rathbone Place , and she went on to have a 6 - year relationship with him , during which period she modelled for some of his most famous paintings .