Renoir chose not to exhibit in the fourth Impressionist exhibition, in 1879. Instead, he submitted work to the official Salon. Madame Charpentier and Her Children was accepted by the jury and exhibited to great acclaim. Georges Charpentier—the publisher of Zola, Maupassant, and Daudet—and his wife occupied an important position in the intellectual and social life of Paris, and their house served as the setting for regular gatherings of leading figures of French arts, letters, and politics. Madame Charpentier's Worth dress and the Japanese décor of the drawing room were considered the epitome of contemporary elegance. Marcel Proust later recalled having seen the portrait in the house.

Open full-size image