In the summer of 1891, Claudel and Rodin stayed at the château of l’Islette, in the Loire Valley, twelve miles from Tours. There, away from the eyes of the city, they found a discreet refuge, where their love could develop in happiness and serenity.

Rodin was then working on a new commission for the monument to the famous French author Honoré de Balzac. Rodin joined Claudel at the château as often as he could, whenever his studies of the writer (a Tours native) brought him to the area.

In the calm environment of l’Islette, Camille undertook a portrait of the granddaughter of the château’s owner. La Petite Châtelaine was begun during the time of Claudel’s intimacy with Rodin and completed after their physical relationship ended. 

This work expresses Claudel’s increasing desire for artistic independence in the mid-1890s. The three summers spent in this peaceful retreat marked a turning point in Claudel’s artistic life.