The Magdalene Before Her Conversion (Madeleine avant sa conversion ) James Tissot (French, 1836-1902). The Magdalene Before Her Conversion (Madeleine avant sa conversion ), 1886-1894. Opaque watercolor over graphite on gray wove paper, Image: 11 1/16 x 5 1/2 in. (28.1 x 14 cm). Apart from Jesus, Mary Magdalene is the only individual in Tissots series accorded more than one study, or portrait—an exception that announces her importance, not only to the narrative itself but also to the artist. As scholars have suggested, Tissot appears to have modeled the Magdalenes features after his late mistress, Mrs. Kathleen Newton, who had died of tuberculosis in 1882. Like many in the nineteenth century, the painter was particularly interested in the occult, and he had attended séances in hopes of establishing contact with the spirit of his deceased beloved. In the image depicting her before her conversion, Mary Magdalene appears dressed in a colorful striped garment and adorned with jewels, her