Tamara and Tadeusz were divorced (against the artist's wishes) and the portrait she had begun to paint of her husband (cat.38) was never finished. She made the acquaintance of Dr Pierre Boucard, who commissioned several portraits. Working increasingly hard, she began to enjoy financial success, spending long periods in Cannes.

Second only to Baron Kuffner, the physician Pierre Boucard - inventor of the famous "Lactéol" pill - was an enthusiastic collector of Lempicka's works. He was, moreover, a friend of the photographer Jacques-Henri Lartigue as well, often appearing in the latter's photos of various joyous occasions at the French coastal resort of Deauville.
In addition to his own portrait, his wife's, and his daughter's, this avid collector also owned "The Slave" (B.119), and "Myrto" (B.118), although the latter fell victim to a German pillager at the war's end (as noted by Lempicka in her album).

A photographer who chronicled happiness and the carefree life: his casual and witty snapshots have been the subject of numerous publications. Lartigue's portrait of the physician Pierre Boucard at his microscope may have served as inspiration to Lempicka. Lartigue also did several portraits of the lovely Arlette Boucard, his friend's daughter.