This mid-19th-century oil painting by Pauline Caron-Langlois (1825-1909) depicts an artist’s studio, probably her own, with three females. It’s possibly a self-portrait and the standing figure could be her sister, Sophie Marie Caron (b. 1826).
Hailing from Beauvais, France, Pauline Caron-Langlois was a painter of genre scenes, which often captured moments of quiet domesticity within humble interiors. She also produced still lifes and landscapes. Her father was a distinguished manufacturer of fine carpets and fabrics who won a medal at the Exposition Universelle in 1855 for his craft, so decorative beauty was instilled from an early age.
In 1847/48, following a commission by the Ministère de l’Instruction Publique et des Beaux-Arts, she produced at least two copies of works by old masters. One of these, a religious piece after Pierre-Paul Prud'hon, was hung at a church in Varennes. This early opportunity led to her debut at the Paris Salon.
Her scenes are often gently lit and offer the viewer a glimpse at everyday life. Narratives vary but frequently involve mothers and children. Stylistically, her approach to composition and colouring is close to that of her tutor, Pierre Édouard Frère (1819-1886).
As far as we know, this is the only portrait of Caron-Langlois working in her studio.
Between 1848 and 1860, Caron-Langlois developed a solid reputation, exhibiting at various salons including those at Troyes, Lyon and Versailles. In 1860, she married Jean Baptiste Auguste Dauvert, a bailiff and property owner, at which point her artistic career appears to end. The pair lived together on the magnificent Rue des Réservoirs in Versailles.
Signed in the lower left and held within a gilt frame.
Learn more about Pauline Caron-Langlois in our directory.
Medium: Oil on panel
Overall size: 25½” x 29” / 65cm x 74cm
Year of creation: c. 1855
Labels & Inscriptions: Partial label on reverse.
Provenance: Private collection, Germany.
Condition: Assessed and approved by our conservator. Cleaned. Frame restored. There’s an older repair to a crack on the right-hand side of the frame, which is stable, but a little pronounced. The panel has bowed due to age.
Our reference: BRV1694
