Artwork
Young Girl with an Apron
Young Girl with an Apron is an oil painting by the Impressionist artist Berthe Morisot. It dates from 1891 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art.
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- Inscribed:lower left: B Morisot
About this work
Subject & Meaning
The subject's youthful presence and domestic garment situate the image within the artist's sustained focus on the private, everyday lives of women and children.
The painting depicts a young girl wearing an apron, rendered in the intimate portrait style characteristic of Berthe Morisot's late work. The subject's youthful presence and domestic garment situate the image within the artist's sustained focus on the private, everyday lives of women and children. The apron itself carries connotations of domestic labor and feminine socialization, yet Morisot's treatment elevates this ordinary moment through painterly attention.
As a portrait created in 1891, the work exemplifies Morisot's contribution to Impressionist portraiture, capturing an unguarded, naturalistic presence rather than formal pose.
History & Provenance
Young Girl with an Apron was created by Berthe Morisot in 1891, executed in oil on canvas. By 1966 the painting had entered the collection of Paul Mellon in Upperville, Virginia, as documented by its inclusion that year in an exhibition of the Mellon collection at the National Gallery of Art. Mellon retained ownership until his death in 1999, at which point the work was bequeathed to the National Gallery of Art, accompanied by a life interest granted to Mrs. Mellon. That life interest was released in 2004, completing the transfer of the painting into the NGA's holdings.
Young Girl with an Apron is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C. The work was bequeathed to the museum in 1999 by Paul Mellon, following a life interest held by his wife, Mrs. Mellon, which was released in 2004. Prior to its accession, the painting was lent to a 1966 exhibition of the Mellon collection at the National Gallery of Art.
Overview
Berthe Morisot, a French painter and printmaker, created Young Girl with an Apron in 1891. This oil on canvas work is a portrait, capturing a young girl within a domestic setting. As a key figure in the Impressionist movement, Morisot consistently explored themes of everyday life and female experience, often depicting family members and intimate interiors with a distinctive light touch.
Technique & Style
Executed in oil on canvas, Young Girl with an Apron demonstrates Morisot's characteristic Impressionist style. The brushwork likely conveys a sense of spontaneity and captures the play of light and color, rather than precise detail. This approach aligns with both Impressionism's focus on fleeting moments and Realism's commitment to depicting ordinary subjects without idealization.
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Artist & collection
Artist
Berthe Marie Pauline Morisot was a French painter, printmaker and a member of the circle of painters in Paris who became known as the Impressionists.
