This exceptional society portrait by James Tissot represents the young artist Mathilde Sée (1864-1934), in a living room, leaning on some Japanese prints.

Known for her paintings of flowers and her illustrations in fashion magazines, she posed as a model for some of the finest portraitists of her time, including Paul Helleu. By choosing a large format, broad strokes and an elegant palette of strong colours, Tissot showcases this living symbol of the women’s emancipation movement at the dawn of the 20th century.

G. R.

City of Paris municipal collection's website

City of Paris municipal collection's website

The collections portal can be used to search the collections of Paris’s 14 municipal museums (approximately 336,000 works, including 43,000 belonging to the Petit Palais).

It is also possible to download around 12,000 images of the museum’s works free of charge.

Access the Museums of the City of Paris collections portal
Autre base documentaire

Extern databases

Discover a selection of databases online presenting works from the Petit Palais or documents concerning the history of the museum.