Artwork
The Artist's Sister, Edma, with Her Daughter, Jeanne
The Artist's Sister, Edma, with Her Daughter, Jeanne is a graphite drawing by the Impressionist artist Berthe Morisot. It dates from 1872 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art.
About this work
The loose brushwork feels quick, like a private snapshot, not a stiff portrait.
A woman holds a little girl on her lap in soft light. The girl wears a white dress and stares past the painter. Watercolor blends with pencil lines, leaving edges light and dreamy.
Morisot painted her sister Edma and niece Jeanne in 1872. The loose brushwork feels quick, like a private snapshot, not a stiff portrait. Edma’s face is half in shadow, adding quiet mystery to the scene.
Look for more Morisot at the National Gallery of Art, Washington.
Overview
Berthe Morisot executed this intimate portrait in 1872, employing watercolor layered over graphite on laid paper. The composition presents her sister, Edma, cradling her young daughter, Jeanne, within a softly illuminated interior. The work belongs to Morisot’s early output, created shortly after she began exhibiting with the group later identified as the Impressionists.
Subject & Meaning
The drawing captures a quiet domestic moment: Edma sits with Jeanne perched on her lap, the child gazing beyond the viewer. Half of Edma’s face falls into shadow, suggesting a contemplative atmosphere and emphasizing the private bond between mother and child rather than a formal likeness.
Technique & Style
Morisot combines delicate graphite underdrawing with translucent watercolor washes, allowing the paper’s texture to show through. The handling is loose and spontaneous, the edges of forms softened, creating a dreamlike quality that resembles a fleeting snapshot rather than a meticulously rendered portrait.
History & Provenance
Created during Morisot’s early association with the Parisian circle that would become the Impressionist movement, the piece reflects her departure from the academic Salon system. It later entered the collection of the National Gallery of Art in Washington, where it is displayed alongside other works by the artist.
Context
At the time of its creation, Morisot was establishing herself among a network of progressive painters in Paris, many of whom were redefining the representation of modern life. This work exemplifies her focus on everyday subjects, particularly women and children, rendered with a lightness that aligns with the emerging Impressionist aesthetic.
Artist & collection
Artist
Berthe Marie Pauline Morisot (French: ; 14 January 1841 – 2 March 1895) was a French painter, printmaker and a member of the circle of painters in Paris who became known as the Impressionists.
