at-the-ball

At the Ball

Au bal / 1875

Berthe Morisot

Berthe Morisot, At the Ball (1875) — Photo via Wikimedia Commons, cropped and edited / Public Domain

Exhibited at the second Impressionist exhibition in 1876, this portrait features an unknown model in Morisot's apartment on Avenue d'Eylau, identifiable by the lush plants in the background. The artist focuses on the textures of the ball gown, where the white muslin bodice, gloves, and fan contrast sharply with the dark hair and eyes. The work is characterized by the restricted palette of 1875, accented by touches of yellow, red, blue, and green.