The work of Berthe Morisot was present in all of the Impressionist exhibitions, except for the one in 1878, following the birth of her daughter. She was liked and respected by her fellow independent artists. In the first exhibition of 1874, held at the studio of the photographer Nadar in the Boulevard des Capucines, she presented nine of the two hundred or so works shown.
Among these were Le berceau and La lecture, both of which show Berthe’s sister, Edma. Le berceau depicts her following the birth of her first child, Blanche.
Edma was also a talented artist, but, unlike Berthe, abandoned her painting after her marriage to Adolphe Pontillon, a naval officer. This reason for this decision remains unknown, but it is certain that the convention of the day was for a married woman to devote her time to her husband and children. Berthe was considered to be wilful, and to know her own mind!
Adolphe had been a cadet when he and Manet sailed to Rio de Janeiro in 1849, at the age of seventeen. Manet had enrolled to please his parents, who did not wish him to become an artist, but he gave up the idea of joining the navy after failing his examinations.
Berthe continued to paint and exhibit until her early death at the age of fifty four. Her marriage to Eugène Manet was a happy one, and they had one daughter, Julie, whom Berthe painted and sketched many times. Eugène was also a painter, but most of his work is lost or in private collections. Although often unwell, he spent a good deal of his time in promoting the work of his brother.
Art in the Nineteenth Century 