Portrait of a couple (97.1.2)

Portrait of a Couple (97.1.2) by Marie Bermond, dated around 1900 and held at the Gaillac Museum of Fine Arts, is a second double-couple portrait in the museum's collection — suggesting either multiple commissions of this type or a sustained interest in the formal problem of paired figures. The double portrait required the artist to resolve both individual likeness and the social relationship between the sitters, conveying not just two faces but their shared life. Bermond's competent handling of this conventional but technically demanding subject reflects her academic foundation.

Like her other double portrait, Bermond organizes the two figures through spatial positioning and directed light, the composition designed to draw the eye naturally from one face to the other. Warm academic modelling gives each sitter individuality while consistent handling unifies them as a pair.