Theodore Lukits' painting "A Souvenir of Seville" was one his most important works. The life-sized portrait of the famous Mexican actress Dolores Del Rio (1905 - 1983) was actually completed in 1926 on the soundstage of Fox Studios. The painting was exhibited in the foyer of the Carthay Circle Theatre at the debut of Del Rio's silent classic "The Loves of Carmen." The young actress, who was only twenty one when the portrait was painted, insisted on being depicted with her pet monkey - perhaps the first time in the history of art that the subject of a formal portrait appears with a simian. The versatile young artist, who was only a few years older than his sitter, was known for his Hollywood portraits of such luminaries as Mae Murray, Theda Bara and Allah Nazimova.

     The title of the painting, which was also known as "A Daughter of Seville," comes from Del Rio's attire, which includes a historic Sevillian dress handed down in her family. Del Rio has on the traditional "mantilla," which gives the petite (5' 3 1/2") actress greater height. Lukits pictured Del Rio in her red and black dress against a rust-colored stage curtain, giving her a theatrical backdrop. The large portrait was exhibited widely, including Lukits' exhibition at the Montmartre Cafe (1927), and it was reproduced in newspapers and magazines. This work combines broad, bravura brushwork, which the artitst used for the dress and backdrop, with more refined passages on Del Rio's face and hands and on the small, expressive figure of the monkey. "A Souvenir of Seville" is an important work from Hollywood's Golden Era.