30 Beautiful Paintings by Berthe Morisot

In 1894, famed art critic Gustave Geffroy described Berthe Morisot, Marie Bracquemond, and Mary Cassatt as “les trois grandes dames” (the three great ladies) of the Impressionist movement.

Born into a wealthy bourgeois family from Bourges, France, Berthe Morisot learnt how to paint at an early age, having private lessons along with her sisters.

As art students, Berthe and her sister Edma would spend hours in the Louvre copying the great works.

While marriage and family life ended Edma’s art career, Berthe continued to paint, and in 1864 at age 23, she exhibited at the prestigious Salon de Paris—the official, annual exhibition of the Académie des beaux-arts in Paris.

Then in 1874, she stopped exhibiting with the academy and joined the Impressionists, which included Paul Cézanne, Edgar Degas, Claude Monet, Camille Pissarro, Pierre-Auguste Renoir, and Alfred Sisley.

Regarded as a “virtuoso colorist”, Berthe created a sense of space and depth with color, painting what she saw and experienced in everyday life. But there is a message in her work—one that tells a story of the class and gender restrictions of the 19th century.

Focusing on family life, her portraits often feature her own daughter, Julie, from her marriage to Édouard Manet’s brother, Eugène.

Portrait of Julie (Berthe's daughter) by Berthe Morisot, 1889
Portrait of Julie (Berthe’s daughter) by Berthe Morisot, 1889
Behind the Blinds by Berthe Morisot, 1879
Behind the Blinds by Berthe Morisot, 1879
Lilacs at Maurecourt by Berthe Morisot, 1874
Lilacs at Maurecourt by Berthe Morisot, 1874
Hide and Seek by Berthe Morisot, 1873
Hide and Seek by Berthe Morisot, 1873
On a Bench by Berthe Morisot, 1889
On a Bench by Berthe Morisot, 1889
Woman and Child on a Balcony by Berthe Morisot, 1872
Woman and Child on a Balcony by Berthe Morisot, 1872
Studying the Violin by Berthe Morisot, 1893
Studying the Violin by Berthe Morisot, 1893
The Pink Dress by Berthe Morisot, c.1870
The Pink Dress by Berthe Morisot, c.1870
Young Girl with a Bird by Berthe Morisot, 1891
Young Girl with a Bird by Berthe Morisot, 1891
Young Woman Watering a Shrub by Berthe Morisot, 1876
Young Woman Watering a Shrub by Berthe Morisot, 1876
The Basket Chair by Berthe Morisot, 1882
The Basket Chair by Berthe Morisot, 1882
In the Dining Room by Berthe Morisot, 1875
In the Dining Room by Berthe Morisot, 1875
Lucie Leon at the Piano by Berthe Morisot, 1892
Lucie Leon at the Piano by Berthe Morisot, 1892
The Cradle by Berthe Morisot, 1872
The Cradle by Berthe Morisot, 1872
The Harbor at Lorient by Berthe Morisot, 1869
The Harbor at Lorient by Berthe Morisot, 1869
After Luncheon by Berthe Morisot, 1881
After Luncheon by Berthe Morisot, 1881
Psyché by Berthe Morisot, 1875
Psyché by Berthe Morisot, 1875
The Lake in the Bois de Boulogne by Berthe Morisot, 1879
The Lake in the Bois de Boulogne by Berthe Morisot, 1879
Eugene Manet and His Daughter in the Garden by Berthe Morisot, 1883
Eugene Manet and His Daughter in the Garden by Berthe Morisot, 1883
Young Girl with Doll by Berthe Morisot, 1884
Young Girl with Doll by Berthe Morisot, 1884
Woman Wearing Gloves ny Berthe Morisot, 1885
Woman Wearing Gloves ny Berthe Morisot, 1885
On the Veranda by Berthe Morisot, 1884
On the Veranda by Berthe Morisot, 1884
On the Lake by Berthe Morisot, 1884
On the Lake by Berthe Morisot, 1884
Doll on a Porch by Berthe Morisot, 1884
Doll on a Porch by Berthe Morisot, 1884
Young Girl with Doll by Berthe Morisot, 1883
Young Girl with Doll by Berthe Morisot, 1883
The Fable by Berthe Morisot, 1883
The Fable by Berthe Morisot, 1883
On the Balcony of Eugene Manet's Room at Bougival by Berthe Morisot, 1881
On the Balcony of Eugene Manet’s Room at Bougival by Berthe Morisot, 1881
Young Woman Picking Oranges by Berthe Morisot, 1889
Young Woman Picking Oranges by Berthe Morisot, 1889
Pasie Sewing in the Garden by Berthe Morisot, 1882
Pasie Sewing in the Garden by Berthe Morisot, 1882
Young Woman and Child, Avenue du Bois by Berthe Morisot, 1894
Young Woman and Child, Avenue du Bois by Berthe Morisot, 1894