Anon. Parisians in the Tuileries Garden

An original 1821 watercolour painting Parisians in the Tuileries Garden.

A charming drawing in brown ink and wash illustrating bourgeois society at recreation in the Tuileries Garden in Paris. The gardens of the Tuileries Palace have long been a place for Parisians to celebrate, meet, stroll and relax. The scene here is one of geniality and leisure, animated with colourful costumes, convivial interactions and children playing. The finely decorated clothing and fashionable caniche dog indicate the affluence of the new bourgeoisie, whilst the tricorne hat reminds of the city's Napoleonic backdrop.

This drawing is one of a charming set of four scenes of French society in the 1820s that we have for sale, executed by an English hand. Following the end of Robespierre’s Reign of Terror in 1794, French society began to stabilise and Parisians engaged in a new consumer culture. The artist captures a sense of fun and recreation in the everyday life that was newly playing out in Paris's urban spaces. The new bourgeoisie was reinventing the lifestyle of leisure in the city's streets, galleries and gardens. The artist also suggests that this conviviality extends to Paris's street sellers, newly profiting from this urban development, and to the local inhabitants of Dieppe, a newly popular seaside retreat away from the capital.