Victor Gabriel Gilbert (French, 1847-1933)

Born in Paris in 1847, Victor Gilbert was considered one of the most important realist painters of his time. At the 1880 Salon, he achieved critical acclaim after receiving a second class medal and a state purchase for his painting now at the Musée des Beaux-Arts in Lille.

Gilbert was mainly a painter of genre scenes both depicting outdoor markets and interior scenes. In the present composition, he shows his mastery by combining the Belle-époque interior with an eye for detail in an anecdotal scene.