Woman at Her Toilette
c. 1891
Medium
oil on cardboard
Dimensions
overall: 22.5 x 20.9 cm (8 7/8 x 8 1/4 in.) framed: 40.9 x 40.6 x 6.3 cm (16 1/8 x 16 x 2 1/2 in.)
Classification
Painting
Department
CF
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Ailsa Mellon Bruce Collection
Accession Number
1970.17.91
Art Historical Context
**Woman at Her Toilette**, painted by Édouard Vuillard around 1, captures a quiet moment of private introspection. This small oil on cardboard, measuring just 22.5 x 20.9 cm, depicts a woman seated at her dressing table, immersed in the rituals of personal grooming. Vuillard, a key figure in the Post-Impressionist group Les Nabis, favored such intimate domestic scenes, drawing from everyday life to evoke emotional depth rather than grand narratives. The artwork's modest scale and support—cardboard rather than traditional canvas—highlight Vuillard's experimental approach, allowing for spontane...
About the Artist
Edouard Vuillard · 1868–1940
Jean-Édouard Vuillard was born on November 11, 1868, in Cuiseaux, Saône-et-Loire, France, to a retired naval captain father and seamstress mother, Marie Vuillard. After his father's early death in 1884, the family settled in Paris, where Vuillard attended the Lycée Condorcet, meeting future Nabis members like Ker-Xavier Roussel—later his brother-in-law—and Maurice Denis. He began formal training i...