Skip to main content
National Gallery of Art National Gallery of Art

Directions

  • Open today 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
  • Directions

  • Visit

    • Plan Your Visit
    • Accessibility
    • Visiting with Kids
    • Food and Drink
    • Shops
    • Tours, Guides, and Maps

    Open today 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
    Admission is always free

    6th and Constitution Ave NW 
    Washington, DC 20565

    Only have an hour to spend?

    We've got you covered.

  • Exhibitions & Events

    • Exhibitions
    • Calendar
    • Kid-Friendly Events

    Featured exhibition:

    The Stars We Do Not See: Australian Indigenous Art

    Opening soon

  • Art & Artists

    • Artworks
    • Artists
    • Stories
    • Games and Interactives
    • Educational Resources
    • Research

    Artle

    A refreshed experience for our puzzle game

    Today's puzzle

Utility

  • Shop
  • Support

Open today 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

National Gallery of Art

  • Visit

    • Plan Your Visit
    • Accessibility
    • Visiting with Kids
    • Food and Drink
    • Shops
    • Tours, Guides, and Maps

    Open today 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
    Admission is always free

    6th and Constitution Ave NW 
    Washington, DC 20565

    Only have an hour to spend?

    We've got you covered.

  • Exhibitions & Events

    • Exhibitions
    • Calendar
    • Kid-Friendly Events

    Featured exhibition:

    The Stars We Do Not See: Australian Indigenous Art

    Opening soon

  • Art & Artists

    • Artworks
    • Artists
    • Stories
    • Games and Interactives
    • Educational Resources
    • Research

    Artle

    A refreshed experience for our puzzle game

    Today's puzzle

Utility

  • Shop
  • Support

  • Visit

    • Plan Your Visit
    • Accessibility
    • Visiting with Kids
    • Food and Drink
    • Shops
    • Tours, Guides, and Maps

    Open today 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
    Admission is always free

    6th and Constitution Ave NW 
    Washington, DC 20565

    Only have an hour to spend?

    We've got you covered.

  • Exhibitions & Events

    • Exhibitions
    • Calendar
    • Kid-Friendly Events

    Featured exhibition:

    The Stars We Do Not See: Australian Indigenous Art

    Opening soon

  • Art & Artists

    • Artworks
    • Artists
    • Stories
    • Games and Interactives
    • Educational Resources
    • Research

    Artle

    A refreshed experience for our puzzle game

    Today's puzzle

Utility

  • Shop
  • Support

Directions

  • Open today 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
  • Directions

Global Search

Autocomplete Suggestions
    No Results
    Keep typing to get suggestions
    Loading Results

    Top Searches:

    • Free images
    • Van Gogh
    • Landscape
    • National Gallery Nights
    • Matisse
    Advanced Artwork Search

    Breadcrumb

    1. Home
    2. Artworks
    3. Madame Henri Bourget-Pailleron
    Provenance

    Madame Henri Bourget-Pailleron

    Explore Selected Works

    Artwork

    A woman with pale skin and reddish, auburn hair stands facing and looking at us on a grassy lawn, wearing a long black dress in this vertical portrait painting. She stands with her body angled slightly to our right but turns to look at us with heavy-lidded, hazel eyes under pointed brows. She has a narrow face, a straight nose, and her full, pink lips are closed. Her cheeks are lightly flushed and she has a cleft in her chin. Her copper-colored, curly hair is pulled back, and bangs sweep across her forehead. Her black dress has a fitted bodice and the long, narrow skirt ends in layers of ruffles at the hem. A spray of white fabric, perhaps taffeta, is tied in a flaring bow at her neck, partially overlapping a tomato-red object, perhaps a flower or corsage, on her left shoulder, farther from us. The tight sleeves of her dress are black lace, and the cuffs are lined with more sprays of white. She holds up her skirt with both hands, close to her left thigh. Where the hem is lifted, the layers of white fabric underneath are exposed, creating an S-shape that curves down to her feet. The sheen on the layers of ruffles suggest that the black skirt, at least, is made from silk. She wears jeweled rings on the fourth finger of each hand and dangling, sparkling earrings. She stands on an oyster-colored ground, probably a walking path, in front of a lawn that fills most of the background. Touches of yellow and pale purple suggest flowers in the lawn, which fades from muted, pine green close to us to mint green in the distance. The carpet of the lawn is broken only by a birch tree near the upper right corner. A spray of leaves, presumably from a tree just outside the composition, dips into the scene at the upper right as well. Some trees and a white, stone structure with steps and a balustrade line the top edge of the composition. The artist inscribed the work with brown script in the lower right corner, where it reads: “John S. Sargent Ronjoux 1879.”
    John Singer Sargent, Marie Buloz Pailleron (Madame Édouard Pailleron), 1879, oil on canvas, Corcoran Collection (Museum Purchase and gifts of Katherine McCook Knox, John A. Nevius and Mr. and Mrs. Lansdell K. Christie), 2014.79.53

    Marie Buloz Pailleron (Madame Édouard Pailleron)

    Marie Buloz Pailleron (Madame Édouard Pailleron)

    John Singer Sargent · 1879 · oil on canvas ·  Accession ID  2014.79.53

    Site Footer

    Home National Gallery of Art

    Hours

    Admission is always free.
    Open today 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

    Locations

    • West Building

      6th St and Constitution Ave NW
      Washington, DC 20565

    • East Building

      4th St and Constitution Ave NW
      Washington, DC 20565

    • Sculpture Garden

      7th St and Constitution Ave NW
      Washington, DC 20565

    Newsletter Sign Up Form

    Art news every week

    Subscribe

    * indicates required

    Follow us

    Social Media

    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
    • YouTube

    Footer Primary Menu

    • About
      • About Us
      • Press
      • Contact Us
    • Visit
      • Plan Your Visit
      • Calendar
      • Today's Tours
      • Accessibility
      • Exhibitions
    • Get Involved
      • Donate
      • Membership
      • Opportunities
    • Research
      • Free Images for Download
      • Artwork Search
      • The Center
      • Conservation
      • Library
      • Archives
      • Past Exhibitions
      • Publications
    © 2025 National Gallery of Art

    Legal Links

    • Notices
    • Privacy Policy