Berthe Morisot in Silhouette

Berthe Morisot in Silhouette is an intimate and striking print created by Édouard Manet French, 1832-1883, between 1872 and 1874. This delicate rendering of the fellow Impressionist painter, Berthe Morisot, was executed as a lithograph in black ink. The specialized technique involves chine collé, where the thin, delicate chine paper receiving the impression is carefully adhered to a heavier ivory wove backing paper. This practice was commonly used to enhance the luminosity and detail of fine line prints. This classification places the work within Manet’s important, yet often overlooked, exploration of graphic arts during his mature period in France.

The subject of the work is the influential artist Berthe Morisot, Manet’s frequent model, intellectual companion, and eventual sister-in-law. Captured in a pure profile, the sitter is defined by sharp tonal contrasts typical of lithography, yet the overall effect is one of quiet contemplation and dignity. This piece was created shortly before Morisot's marriage to Manet’s brother, Eugène, underscoring the close personal relationship between the two artists during the formative years of the Impressionist movement. While Manet is primarily known for his oil painting, his graphic prints provided a powerful way to distribute his imagery and explore portraiture with immediacy. This significant work is now held in the permanent collection of the Art Institute of Chicago. As the original work is centuries old, high-resolution reproductions of this French masterwork are widely available in the public domain.