The Little Sister (La Petite Soeur)

The Little Sister (La Petite Soeur), created by Jean-Baptiste-Camille Corot in 1854, is a significant example of early experimental printmaking. Classified specifically as a print, this work employs the highly distinctive and experimental technique known as cliché-verre. This innovative hybrid process, developed and popularized among a small group of French artists during the mid-nineteenth century, merges the spontaneity of drawing with the reproducibility of photography.

The technique involves the artist scratching or drawing directly onto a glass plate coated with an opaque substance. The plate is then placed in direct contact with light-sensitive paper and exposed to sunlight or artificial light, effectively acting as a negative. The resulting image, characterized by stark lines and high contrast, retains the fluid hand of the artist while yielding a photographic print.

Corot, primarily celebrated for his atmospheric and deeply subjective landscape painting, actively embraced the cliché-verre medium during the 1851 to 1875 period. He saw it as a compelling way to produce intimate, expressive studies outside the constraints of traditional engraving or etching. The resulting image, focused on the figure suggested by the title, The Little Sister (La Petite Soeur), demonstrates the artist’s sensitive approach to portraiture or genre scenes, captured with the directness that the new medium afforded.

This print represents a crucial intersection between drawing, graphic arts, and nascent photographic technology. Corot's willingness to engage with these technical frontiers solidified his reputation not only as a master painter but also as an innovator in graphic media. This vital French artwork is held in the permanent collection of the National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C., and today, high-quality prints derived from the original are frequently made available through public domain collections, ensuring the accessibility of this pioneering work.