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French Art

Grades 6 through 12

We will offer a selection of in-person and virtual field trips (using Zoom) for fall 2024.

Request for fall field trips (September 30 – December 6, 2024) will be accepted from August 1 – November 1, 2024.

Requests for winter/spring field trips (January 6 – May 30, 2025) will be accepted from December 1, 2024 – April 5, 2025.

This field trip gives students a taste of 18th and 19th century French art and explores a variety of themes including artistic styles, portraits and landscape paintings, scenes from everyday life, and images of patronage and power.

A man with pale peach skin and dark hair wears a military uniform and stands in front of a desk in this vertical portrait painting. He nearly fills the composition so seems close to us, and he looks directly at us. His body is angled slightly to our left and he tucks his right hand, on our left, flat against his chest between the buttons of his jacket. His navy-blue waistcoat is white along the front where it is fastened with brass buttons along his chest. The jacket has red cuffs, gold epaulets on the shoulders, and three medals affixed to the chest. White britches end just below the knee, and white stockings covering his calves are wrinkled at the ankle above black shoes with brass buckles. A candle burns low in a lamp on an ornately carved and gilded desk behind the man. Books and papers are piled on the desk to our right. More papers and a thin sword rest on a chair in front of the desk to our right. The chair is also carved and gilded, and is upholstered with scarlet-red fabric decorated with gold bees. The legs of the chair push back the forest-green carpet underfoot. A tall clock stands on the wall opposite us and reads 4:13. A few capital letters are written on a scroll of paper on the chair, “COD.” The artist’s name is also written as if printed on a scroll of paper on the floor behind the desk to our left: “LVD.CI.DAVID OPVS 1812.”

Jacques-Louis David, The Emperor Napoleon in His Study at the Tuileries, 1812, oil on canvas, Samuel H. Kress Collection, 1961.9.15

Looking and Learning Skills

During four to five field trip stops in the galleries, students engage in activities—such as looking exercises and small group work—that foster conversations about works of art. On this field trip, students will practice the following skills:

  • Reasoning with evidence from works of art and using them as primary sources from which to gather ideas about French art and culture
  • Developing new perspectives about French art, culture, and history
  • Making and voicing careful observations
  • Formulating questions that demonstrate curiosity and engagement
  • Comparing different works of art and articulating connections between them
  • Connecting field trip ideas to prior knowledge and experience

In-Person Field Trip Information

Group Size: Up to 90 students
Length: 75 minutes
Meeting Location: West Building Rotunda

Important Scheduling Information

Field trips must be scheduled at least four weeks in advance. Groups must contain at least 15 students.

Once your field trip has been scheduled, you will receive an email confirmation within ten business days.

Bus Transportation

Bus transportation is available for DCPS (District of Columbia Public Schools) participating in our docent-led school field trips. Teachers should follow the guidelines here to apply for bus transportation.

Examples of Works Featured on this Field Trip

Additional National Gallery Resources

Related Resources