Portrait of a Woman

Her hands clasped over her knee, this woman seems to have just turned her head to gaze at the viewer. Her informal pose and dress, as well as her resemblance to the artist, suggest that she may be Berthe Morisot's sister, Edma. Both Morisot sisters studied art privately, as women were not admitted to France's state-run art schools until 1897. Only Berthe pursued art as a career. A key member of the Impressionist circle, she was the sole woman to participate in the first Impressionist exhibition in 1874.