Parisiennes in Algerian Costume or Harem

This is a representative work of Renoir's early period. The vertical composition, the depicted figures, the feeling of the setting, the warm palette, and the Algerian style costumes all clearly reflect Delacroix's famous work in the Louvre, "Algerian Women" (1834). During this period Renoir was copying Delacroix's works and studying the fresh color effects and dramatic expression of this Romantic genius. This painting demonstrates the beginning of his Impressionist tendencies and his subsequent use of a warmer palette.