Artwork
Child with Brown Hair
Child with Brown Hair is an oil painting by the Impressionist artist Pierre-Auguste Renoir. It dates from 1888 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art. Created in 1888, this oil on canvas portrait by Auguste Renoir captures a young girl with brown hair.
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About this work
Technique & Style
As a piece by Auguste Renoir, the painting employs oil paint as the primary medium to render the subject.
Created in 1887, Child with Brown Hair is an oil painting executed on a canvas support. The work measures 11.7 cm in height and 10.1 cm in width, classifying it as a small-scale portrait. As a piece by Auguste Renoir, the painting employs oil paint as the primary medium to render the subject.
The compact dimensions and portrait genre suggest an intimate handling of the figure, consistent with the artist's approach to capturing individual likenesses during this period.
History & Provenance
The painting was first recorded in the inventory of Ambroise Vollard’s Parisian dealership in 1887, shortly after its creation by Auguste Renoir. By 1952 it belonged to Captain Edward H. Molyneux, who exhibited it that year at the National Gallery of Art. Molyneux sold the work on 15 August 1955 to Ailsa Mellon Bruce, who bequeathed it to the National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C., in 1970.
The painting is held by the National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C., where it is recorded with accession number 1970.17.1. It entered the Gallery’s collection in 1970 as part of the bequest of Ailsa Mellon Bruce.
It was exhibited in 1952 at the National Gallery of Art as part of the collection of Capt. Edward H. Molyneux.
Legacy
Child with Brown Hair (1887) exerted influence through its inclusion in major exhibitions, including a 1952 display of the Molyneux collection at the National Gallery of Art, which reinforced its visibility in the art market and scholarly discourse. Its enduring legacy is anchored in the National Gallery of Art's permanent collection in Washington, D.C., where it remains accessible to the public and continues to be referenced in studies of late 19th-century portraiture and Impressionist techniques.
The work's reputation as a representative example of Renoir's mature portraiture has contributed to its status as a benchmark for understanding the artist's approach to capturing intimate, character-driven compositions within the Impressionist tradition.
Overview
Created in 1888, this oil on canvas portrait by Auguste Renoir captures a young girl with brown hair. She is depicted in a simple white shirt, her hair gathered back, and she gazes toward her left. The work exemplifies Renoir’s late‑period focus on intimate, everyday subjects rendered with a gentle, inviting palette.
Subject & Meaning
The sitter is a child whose delicate features, particularly her rosy cheeks, convey a sense of youthful vitality. The composition’s quiet pose and direct gaze suggest a moment of quiet contemplation, inviting viewers to consider the innocence and fleeting nature of childhood within a domestic setting.
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Artist & collection
Artist
Pierre-Auguste Renoir was a French artist who was a leading painter in the development of the Impressionist style.
