Who was Edma Pontillon?

Edma Pontillon was Berthe Morisot's sister and a fellow painter. She abandoned her artistic career after marriage, as was expected of women in that era.

Where can I see this portrait?

The painting hangs at the Musee d'Orsay in Paris, France. Morisot painted multiple portraits of her sister over the years.

What art movement was Berthe Morisot part of?

Berthe Morisot was a founding member of Impressionism. She was one of only a few women in the movement's core group.

Where Is Portrait of Edma Pontillon? See It at Musée d'Orsay

Berthe Morisot completed this intimate portrait of her sister Edma around 1871. Edma Pontillon, nee Morisot, had been a fellow painter before her marriage, when she gave up her artistic career as was expected of women at the time. The subject gazes directly at the viewer with a calm, contemplative expression.

The two sisters had painted side by side since childhood and exhibited together at the Paris Salon. When Edma married and stopped painting, Berthe continued alone, becoming a founding member of the Impressionist group. This portrait carries personal weight, capturing not just a sibling but a lost artistic companion.

Morisot rendered her sister's dark clothing with soft treatment of light and shadow, the floral upholstery providing contrast. The painting now hangs at the Musee d'Orsay in Paris, proof of the intimate subjects that characterized Morisot's Impressionist work.