Jimmy Corsini
c. 1901
Long before he painted the lonely diners of Nighthawks, a young Edward Hopper captured this brooding figure, Jimmy Corsini, around 1901. Corsini was an Italian immigrant and a favorite model for Hopper during his art school days in New York. Notice the heavy, dramatic shadows and the long, drooping hat—it gives the subject a look of exhaustion that hints at the themes of isolation Hopper would later master. You can even spot a tiny, floating head sketch in the top right corner, likely a quick study of proportions before tackling the main portrait.