"Jacqueline en Profil à droite" is part of a series of lithographic portraits featuring Picasso's second wife, Jacqueline Roque, which were created in the late 50’s and held great significance for the artist. He used Jacqueline's beautiful and exotic profile as the foundation for a concentrated exploration of the various mark-making possibilities in the lithographic process. Each plate underwent multiple stages and revisions, resulting in a remarkable sequence of proofs that showcased Picasso's evolving technical skills, honed over the course of a decade, under the guidance of master printer Fernand Mourlot in his Paris workshop.

Picasso, having relocated to the Côte d’Azur with his mistress Françoise Gilot in the late 1940s, encountered Jacqueline in the summer of 1952 at the Madoura pottery workshops where she worked as a sales assistant while he painted plates. Despite being forty-five years his junior, Jacqueline shared his stocky build and had striking dark eyes. As Picasso's relationship with Gilot deteriorated, Jacqueline quickly assumed the role of his lover, muse, and eventually, his wife. She became the predominant female presence in Picasso's life and served as the subject of countless paintings and prints during the 1950s and 1960s. As with his previous love affairs, this new relationship sparked a period of intense creativity.