The Harbor at Lorient

1869

Oil on canvas, 43.5 × 73 cm. National Gallery of Art, Washington

A young woman with a pink parasol sits on a harbor wall above calm, reflecting water. Morisot gave it to Manet in 1869, and it was shown in 1874 as Marine.

Quick, light strokes only suggest the scene, even the woman's face. Impressionist painters often suggested forms like this rather than describing them in detail.
When the National Gallery exhibited it in 1966, the figure was identified as Edma Morisot.
Most of the canvas is water and sky; look at the ships' reflections across the channel.
The pale pink parasol stands out against the blues of water and sky.
Ailsa Mellon Bruce bought it in 1955 and bequeathed it to the National Gallery in 1970.

Lorient is a port town on the south coast of Brittany. Morisot treats its harbor as a quiet setting for a figure in summer dress.

Image: National Gallery of Art Open Access · CC0