Creative Commons License
Creative Commons License
Creative Commons License
Springtime
(18th and 19th Centuries )
Monet moved to Argenteuil, a suburban town on the right bank of the Seine River northwest of Paris, in late December 1871. Many of the types of scenes that he and the other Impressionists favored could be found in this small town, conveniently connected by rail to nearby Paris. In this painting, Monet was less interested in capturing a likeness than in studying how unblended dabs of color could suggest the effect of brilliant sunlight filtered through leaves.
During the early 1870s, Monet frequently depicted views of his backyard garden that included his wife, Camille, and their son, Jean. However, when exhibited at the Second Impressionist Exhibition in 1876, this painting was titled more generically, "Woman Reading."
Inscription
Provenance
Provenance (from the French provenir, 'to come from/forth') is the chronology of the ownership, custody, or location of a historical object. Learn more about provenance at the Walters.
Probably purchased by Paul Durand-Ruel (from the artist), Paris, November 23, 1872; purchased by Ernest Hoschedé, April 28, 1873; Sale Hoschedé, Hôtel Drouot, Paris, June 5-6, 1878, no. 54. Acquired by Mary Cassatt, Paris, ca. 1889; purchased by Henry Walters (through George Lucas as agent), Baltimore, 1903; by bequest to Walters Art Museum, 1931.
Exhibitions
| 2010-2011 | 19th Century Masterpieces from the Walters Art Museum. Santa Barbara Museum of Art, Santa Barbara; Jack S. Blanton Museum of Art, Austin. |
| 2007 | Claude Monet (1840-1926): A Tribute to Daniel Wildenstein and Katia Granoff. Wildenstein & Company, New York. |
| 2004-2005 | In Monet's Light: Theodore Robinson at Giverny. Baltimore Museum of Art, Baltimore; Phoenix Art Museum, Phoenix; Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art, Hartford. |
| 2002-2004 | A Magnificent Age: Masterpieces from the Walters Art Museum, Baltimore. The Walters Art Museum, Baltimore; The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, Kansas City; Mint Museum of Art, Charlotte. |
| 1999-2000 | Faces of Impressionism: Portraits from American Collections. Baltimore Museum of Art, Baltimore; The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, Houston; The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland. |
| 1998-1999 | Monet: Late Paintings of Giverny from the Musee Marmottan. The Walters Art Gallery, Baltimore; San Diego Museum Of Art, San Diego; Portland Art Museum, Portland. |
| 1998 | Before Monet: Landscape Painting in France and Impressionist Masters: Highlights from The Walters Collection. The Walters Art Gallery, Baltimore. |
| 1995 | Claude Monet 1840-1926. The Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago. |
| 1994 | Monet: A Retrospective. Bridgestone Museum of Art, Tokyo; Nagoya City Art Museum, Nagoya, Aici. |
| 1989-1990 | Claude Monet - Auguste Rodin: Centenaire de l’Exposition de 1889. Musee Auguste Rodin, Paris. |
| 1980 | Hommage à Claude Monet (1840-1926). Galeries nationales du Grand Palais, Paris. |
| 1979 | A Baltimorean in Paris: George A. Lucas, 1860-1909. The Walters Art Gallery, Baltimore. |
| 1960 | The Image Lost and Found. Metropolitan Boston Arts Center, Boston. |
| 1957 | Claude Monet. City Art Museum of Saint Louis, St. Louis; Minneapolis Institute of Art, Minneapolis. |
| 1956 | The Turn of the Century: Exhibition of Masterpieces, 1880-1920. Denver Art Museum, Denver. |
| 1954 | Inaugural Exhibition at the Fort Worth Art Center. Fort Worth Art Center, Fort Worth. |
| 1951 | From Ingres to Gauguin: French Nineteenth Century Paintings Owned in Maryland. Baltimore Museum of Art, Baltimore. |
| 1950 | Paintings by the Impressionists and Post Impressionists. Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, Richmond. |
| 1949 | Monet and the Beginnings of Impressionism. The Currier Gallery of Art, Manchester, Manchester. |
| 1948 | Themes and Variations in Painting and Sculpture. Baltimore Museum of Art, Baltimore. |
| 1942 | Contrasts in Impressionism. Baltimore Museum of Art, Baltimore. |
| 1889 | Monet-Rodin. Galerie Georges Petit, Paris. |
| 1876 | 2e Exposition de Peinture. Galerie Durand-Ruel, Paris. |
Conservation
| Date | Description | Narrative |
|---|---|---|
| 10/25/1951 | Treatment | cleaned; coated |
| 2/1/1960 | Treatment | examined for loan; frame stabilized |
| 6/1/1971 | Treatment | cleaned |
| 3/14/1979 | Examination | examined for condition |
| 10/22/1979 | Treatment | cleaned; stabilized; coated |
| 10/22/1979 | Examination | examined for loan |
| 1/31/1989 | Treatment | stabilized; coated |
Geographies
France, Paris (Place of Origin)
Measurements
H: 19 11/16 x W: 25 13/16 in. (50 x 65.5 cm); Framed H with build-up: 29 9/16 x W: 35 5/8 x D: 5 1/8 in. (75.09 x 90.49 x 13.02 cm)
Credit Line
Acquired by Henry Walters, 1903
Location in Museum
Not on view
Accession Number
In libraries, galleries, museums, and archives, an accession number is a unique identifier assigned to each object in the collection.
In libraries, galleries, museums, and archives, an accession number is a unique identifier assigned to each object in the collection.
37.11