Detail of Madame Boursier and her Daughter by Berthe Morisot in the Brooklyn Museum, March 2010

Portrait of Mme Boursier and Her Daughter (Portrait de Mme Boursier et de sa fille)

A member of the Impressionist circle, Morisot focused on the domestic spaces associated with women rather than the public venues and events painted by her male counterparts. In this image of her relatives, Morisot invites the viewer into a richly appointed middle-class interior with its floral upholstery, upright piano and sheet music, framed mirror, and porcelain vase with flowers. With quick, unblended strokes, the painter's deft brushwork summarily defines the forms, patterns, and textures of the elegant furnishings and fashionable clothing. Morisot underscores the intimacy of the scene by placing the little girl on Madame Boursier's lap as well as by bringing her subjects close to the picture plane.

Artist: Berthe Morisot, French, 1841-1895

Medium: Oil on canvas

Place Made: France

Dates: ca. 1873

Dimensions: 29 5/16 x 22 3/8 in. (74.5 x 56.8 cm) Frame: 36 3/4 x 30 x 2 1/2 in. (93.3 x 76.2 x 6.4 cm)

Signature: Signed lower left: "Berthe Morisot"

Collections: European Art

Museum Location: This item is on view in Beaux-Arts Court, North, 3rd Floor

Accession Number: 29.30

Credit Line: Museum Collection Fund

Text from: www.brooklynmuseum.org/opencollection/objects/4688/Portra...