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Madame Georges Charpentier (Marguerite-Louise Lemonnier, 1848–1904) and Her Children, Georgette-Berthe (1872–1945) and Paul-Emile-Charles (1875–1895)

1878
On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 824
In this commissioned portrait, as Marcel Proust observed, Renoir gave expression to "the poetry of an elegant home and the beautiful dresses of our time." In the Japanese-style sitting room of her Parisian townhouse—the décor and chic gown testifying to her stylish taste—Marguerite Charpentier sits beside her son, Paul. At age three, his locks are still uncut and, in keeping with current fashion, he is dressed identically to his sister Georgette, perched on the family dog. The well-connected publisher's wife, who hosted elite literary salons attended by such writers as Flaubert, the Goncourts, and Zola, used her influence to ensure that the painting enjoyed a choice spot at the Salon of 1879.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Madame Georges Charpentier (Marguerite-Louise Lemonnier, 1848–1904) and Her Children, Georgette-Berthe (1872–1945) and Paul-Emile-Charles (1875–1895)
  • Artist: Auguste Renoir (French, Limoges 1841–1919 Cagnes-sur-Mer)
  • Date: 1878
  • Medium: Oil on canvas
  • Dimensions: 60 1/2 x 74 7/8 in. (153.7 x 190.2 cm)
  • Classification: Paintings
  • Credit Line: Catharine Lorillard Wolfe Collection, Wolfe Fund, 1907
  • Object Number: 07.122
  • Curatorial Department: European Paintings

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Cover Image for 6302. Madame Georges Charpentier and Her Children, Georgette-Berthe and Paul-Émile-Charles

6302. Madame Georges Charpentier and Her Children, Georgette-Berthe and Paul-Émile-Charles

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