Hanging the Laundry out to Dry

Figures move among lines of white laundry strung across a garden near a house, with open fields and a scatter of rooftops visible beneath a sky full of soft clouds. The scene feels airy and unposed, as if caught in the middle of an ordinary afternoon chore rather than arranged for the painter. This oil painting was made in 1875 by Berthe Morisot and is held today at the National Gallery of Art, having come from the collection of Mr. and Mrs. Paul Mellon. Morisot, who lived from 1841 to 1895 and worked in France, painted within the Impressionist movement. One detail stands out in particular: the brightness of the hung linens against the muted tones of the garden and sky, drawing the eye across the canvas even as the figures themselves remain small and loosely defined.