The Knitter

Painted in 1879, The Knitter shows a young girl with dark hair standing against a pale stone wall as she knits a light scarf with two needles. She wears a white blouse with billowy sleeves, a red patterned vest, and a brown skirt; the painting's smooth, luminous brushwork and naturalistic rendering of skin and fabrics exemplify Bouguereau's polished academic realism against a subdued, neutral backdrop.