Breton Brother and Sister

William Bouguereau

1871 · Oil on canvas · European Paintings

Based on sketches Bouguereau made while summering in Brittany in the late 1860s, this picture was completed in the artist’s studio in 1871. His young models, posed in traditional Breton costumes, epitomize the ideal of virtuous and attractive peasants living a simple life in close contact with nature. This type of scene was quickly snapped up by American collectors, earning Bouguereau fame and fortune. As one critic explained, "Whoever gets a picture by [him] gets the full worth of his money, in finished painting, first-rate drawing, and a subject and treatment that no well-bred person can … fault."

Artist

William Bouguereau

Date

1871

Medium

Oil on canvas

Department

European Paintings

Credit line

Catharine Lorillard Wolfe Collection, Bequest of Catharine Lorillard Wolfe, 1887