19th-Century French School Portrait Of A Girl In A Blue Tunic

19th-Century French School Portrait Of A Girl In A Blue Tunic

A late 19th-century French school portrait of a girl in a blue tunic. She has endearing doe eyes and the look of a good-natured child.

During the 19th-century, children’s clothing tended to be created at home - either by mothers or seamstresses. A popular outfit for both boys and girls consisted of a tunic, which was fitted at the waist and flared out into a skirt. It’s tricky to tell boys and girls apart in portraits from this period as they often dressed the same.

With portraits of children, it’s interesting to consider how the artist managed to capture a likeness when the child would’ve been fidgeting. She seems so calm here but surely that wasn’t the case! Her education would’ve consisted of languages, music, needlework, and dance, so she probably had plenty of other activities to be getting on with.

The portrait is housed within a later frame and we acquired it from France.

Medium: Oil on canvas
Overall size: 27” x 31” / 68cm x 79cm
Year of creation: c. 1890
Provenance: France
Condition: Areas of light craquelure. Canvas relined. Frame with some light age-related wear.

Conservation & History

We care profoundly about our role as custodians and every piece in the collection has been assessed by our conservator. When required, we undertake professional restoration carefully using reversible techniques and adopt a light touch to retain the aged charm of each work. We also often restore frames rather than replace them as many are original and selected by the artists themselves.

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