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Study of a couple, preparatory for "La Famille" (The Family)

ca. 1882
Not on view
This charcoal study, likely drawn from life, is preparatory to the painting "La Famille," which the artist exhibited at the Salon of 1882, just two years after her successful debut. In this sensitive sketch, a couple leans into one another with their cheeks pressed together and their hair overlapping. Their downcast gazes and her outstretched arms indicate the presence of a baby who is not visible in this drawing but appears in the final composition. The painting, which was destroyed during World War II, won a gold medal at the Exposition Universelle Coloniale in Amsterdam in 1883. That same year, Demont-Breton joined the Union of Women Painters. She went on to serve as its president from 1896-1901 and she was instrumental in gaining women entry to the Ecole des Beaux-Arts.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Study of a couple, preparatory for "La Famille" (The Family)
  • Artist: Virginie Demont-Breton
  • Date: ca. 1882
  • Medium: Charcoal on paper
  • Dimensions: Sheet: 22 1/16 × 13 3/4 in. (56 × 35 cm)
  • Classification: Drawings
  • Credit Line: Gift of Jill Newhouse in honor of Karen B. Cohen and Mark and Rochelle Rosenberg, 2026
  • Object Number: 2026.271
  • Curatorial Department: Drawings and Prints

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