Two Sisters (On the Terrace)

A terrace on the Seine

Renoir painted Two Sisters (On the Terrace) in 1881 on the terrace of the Maison Fournaise, a restaurant on an island in the Seine at Chatou, west of Paris. Boaters and artists gathered there, and Renoir painted several scenes at the same place.

The painting belongs to the Art Institute of Chicago. Despite its title, the two models were not sisters. The older is generally identified as Jeanne Darlot, a young actress; the little girl has not been identified.

A red hat and a calm gaze

The young woman wears a bright red hat and a dark blue flannel outfit. Her face is soft and rosy, and she looks gently to one side. Renoir painted her skin with smooth, blended strokes.

The red of the hat is the strongest colour in the painting. It draws the eye to her face first.

A child with flowers on her hat

In front of her stands a little girl in a white dress, with a blue hat covered in flowers. Her round face, blue eyes and pink cheeks are painted with great tenderness. She looks out directly.

The two hats, red and blue with flowers, echo each other and link the figures, even though their poses are different.

A basket of wool

At the lower left, a basket holds balls of coloured wool. It is painted loosely, with quick strokes of orange, green, blue and white. It adds a domestic note to the outdoor scene.

Behind the figures, the background dissolves into green foliage, the river and a few boats, painted in light, broken strokes. The sharp figures in front and the soft background make the scene feel both close and airy.

How it reached Chicago

The painting was bought by the dealer Paul Durand-Ruel soon after it was made. It later entered the collection of Mr and Mrs Lewis Larned Coburn and came to the Art Institute of Chicago in 1933. It is one of the museum’s best-loved Impressionist works.

Questions about Two Sisters (On the Terrace)

Are they really sisters?

No. The older girl is generally identified as Jeanne Darlot; the younger one is unknown.

Where was it painted?

On the terrace of the Maison Fournaise at Chatou, on the Seine.

Where is the original?

Art Institute of Chicago.

How large is it?

100.5 × 81 centimetres, oil on canvas.

Sources and image credit

• Art Institute of Chicago: Two Sisters (On the Terrace)
• Wikimedia Commons: Google Art Project scan

Faithful public-domain reproduction of Two Sisters (On the Terrace) (1881), via Wikimedia Commons (Google Art Project). Detail images are crops of the same historical painting; no reconstruction or upscaling.