Figure 1.-- This painting, attributed to Renoir is titled 'The Little Fishergirl'. We would not have recognized it as a Renoir painting, but do not pretend to be an art expert. We somehow doubt the child is a girl, considering the period. Would a girl have worn cropped shorts in the 1880s? Our knowledge of 19th century swimwear is also limited. We are unsure about when this painting was done, but suspect it was the 1880s.

This painting, attributed to Renoir is titled 'The Little Fishergirl'. We would not have recognized it as a Renoir painting, but do not pretend to be an art expert. The title is confusing. This is not the child of a French fisherman. Fishing at the time was a low satus occupation. The childen of a fishermnen would hve probably worn rags. This is clearly a child from an affluent family who has come to the seaside, probably a fashionable resot, or a family vacation. A reader tells us, "Marthe Berard was the daughter of Paul Berard, one of Renoir's benefactors. Renoir painted many of his friends and their children. This portrait was painted on the beach of Berneval in Normandy in 1879. It is oil on canvas. Her net was for playing at the beach and possibly catching something interesting. Note that her hat does not have a wide brim. Our knowledge of 19th century swimwear is limited at the time so this helps show how a young girl would have dressed at the seaide. The suit itself would have been more for psaddling and beach plsay than actusal swimming.

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Created: 9:44 PM 5/31/2010
Last updated: 7:44 AM 6/1/2010