Portrait of Madame Hubbard
Berthe Morisot·1874
Historical Context
Painted in 1874 and now in Ordrupgaard, Copenhagen, this portrait of Madame Hubbard — identity uncertain, possibly a Parisian society acquaintance — belongs to the informal portraiture Morisot produced alongside her more personal family subjects. Her approach to commissioned and social portraiture maintained the same psychological directness she brought to family pictures, avoiding the flattery and stiffness typical of official Salon portraiture. The Danish Ordrupgaard collection is particularly rich in Morisot holdings.
Technical Analysis
The sitter is depicted with directness and ease, the portrait's informality conveyed through the composition's lack of ceremonial attributes or stiff posture. Morisot's palette and handling are at a transitional stage between her earlier controlled style and the looser Impressionist approach she was consolidating during 1874.
