Reverie

Camille Corot

ca. 1860–65 · Oil on wood · European Paintings

In the 1860s and 70s, Corot often posed young, working-class Parisians in exotic costumes, perhaps evoking peasants he had painted in Italy in 1825–28. The introduction of studio props, however, situate the later works more squarely within the tradition of genre painting. In this work, the model’s expressionless face invites speculation about her state of mind, the book she has temporarily ceased to read, and the tenebrous sky.

Artist

Camille Corot

Date

ca. 1860–65

Medium

Oil on wood

Department

European Paintings

Credit line

H. O. Havemeyer Collection, Bequest of Mrs. H. O. Havemeyer, 1929