The Tartan Dress

Jeanne Louise Dauche was just over three years old when this portrait of her was painted in August 1845. She is wearing a delightful tartan dress with barely there sleeves and two rows of buttons running down each the bodice. It is signed along the right hand edge – Mie Bost – and is set in a decorative gilt metal frame. The reverse has a brooch attachment and is glazed to show neatly plaited brown hair. The child’s details are inscribed on a partial label that accompanied the portrait.

Melanie Bost (née Lebel) was born in Paris around 1810. She exhibited at The Salon between 1837 and 1852.