Seated Little Girl with a Blue Background 1890

Pierre-Auguste Renoir painted this unnamed girl in an unknown year, using oil on canvas. The fact that this painting is held in a private collection is significant: it tells us that it was likely commissioned by the sitter's family. In the late 19th century, it was common for wealthy families to commission portraits of their children as a display of their social status and wealth, suggesting that this painting served as a status symbol for the sitter's family. The girl's simple white dress and plain background suggest that Renoir was more interested in capturing her personality than in creating a glamorous image. However, the act of painting a portrait itself suggests that the sitter and her family were of a certain class, suggesting that despite the apparent simplicity of the image, social status still plays a role. Art history helps us to understand the social and cultural context in which this painting was made, using a variety of sources such as letters, diaries, and other historical documents.