Portrait of Céphise Picou, Sister of the Artist 1846

Henri-Pierre Picou painted this portrait of his sister Céphise, although we don't know when it was made. The accoutrements of middle-class life are all here. There is the piano. It signals education, refinement, and leisure. The soft fabrics, the lace, the fur stole. These are the possessions of a family who can afford a certain level of comfort. And there is Céphise herself. We see her in the expected pose for a woman of her time. Thoughtful, demure, and decorative. Picou was a successful academic painter in France. He adhered to the norms of the art establishment, showing frequently at the Salon. Portraits were a mainstay for artists, and the middle classes were an important source of patronage. Further research would help us understand the role of the Picou family in French society. We might ask how they saw themselves in relation to the institutions of their time. It would be interesting to find out how Céphise felt about the image her brother created of her.