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Old woman selling paper patterns for embroidery

Peichun Zhou

1885

paint

From the collection of Victoria and Albert Museum

Impressionism Realism Late 19th Century

Dominant colour

Old woman selling paper patterns for embroidery is a 1885 paint by Peichun Zhou, a Impressionism work, held at Victoria and Albert Museum.

Who painted this?: Peichun Zhou
When & what style?: 1885 · Impressionism
Where can I see it?: Victoria and Albert Museum

About this work

This painting shows two people sitting on the floor. The woman on the right, dressed in a green robe and blue shoes, hands a small red packet to a man in dark clothes. She’s smiling, and he looks curious. A small wooden box sits between them, with more packets inside. The background is plain, but the right side has Chinese writing. The red packets hold paper patterns—likely for embroidery, as the title says. The artist focused on everyday life, not grand scenes. Check out the Victoria and Albert Museum to see more works like this.

The story of this work

Overview

The painting depicts an elderly woman seated on a plain background, holding up a red embroidery pattern for a customer dressed in green. To the right, a Chinese description explains the contents of the image, accompanied by an English translation in pencil of uncertain accuracy. Part of a numbered album of over 200 works illustrating various occupations, this piece was acquired in 1900 from Maggs Bros. and is cataloged as accession D.1480 within the series.

Read the full account in the museum source.

About the artist

Artist

Peichun Zhou

Peichun Zhou's tiny paintings feel like overheard gossip. Every inch of the page teems with someone’s daily hustle—silver hairpins, paper flowers, or a jeweler gluing kingfisher feathers onto a trinket. You can almost…

See the richer artist page