Return from the races

Return from the Races was painted by De Nittis in 1875 and is now held by the Philadelphia Museum of Art. The subject — figures returning from a day at the races — combines the social world of the fashionable racetrack with the quieter atmosphere of the homeward journey, contrasting the excitement of the races with the calm aftermath of a day's pleasure. De Nittis had painted several racing subjects by 1875, and the Philadelphia acquisition reflects the broad international market for French Impressionist works that had been building since the early 1870s through the Paris dealer network. The holding situates De Nittis internationally alongside Monet, Renoir, and Cassatt in one of the world's great encyclopedic collections, confirming his status as a major figure in the Impressionist movement during his lifetime.

The composition features fashionably dressed figures on a road or avenue, with the diagonal of the return journey providing the compositional backbone. Post-race late-afternoon light gives the scene a different quality from the bright midday of the races — longer shadows and warmer tones.