Elizabeth Gardner Bouguereau: Daphnis and Chloë, 1882

"Daphnis and Chloë"
by Elizabeth Gardner Bouguereau

"According to Elizabeth Gardner's letters dated between 1864 and 1896, the number of times she attended a concert, banquet, or went to the theater were few and far between. If she did, it was quickly compensated for the next day by doubling her efforts. In this respect, she and Bouguereau were most compatible. Neither enjoyed socializing. Both refused countless invitations in favor of using precious work time to their advantage. In spite of this, she held large receptions in her studio before a painting left for the Salon.

Her 1882 Salon work, 'Daphnis et Chloë' was classically inspired. The crowning of flowers possibly signifies a passage from the innocence of girlhood to the 'flowering' of womanhood. The charming bucolic setting serves to imbue the figures with the ideals of a nature poem, a 'fête gallante.' This work, begun in December of 1880, offered a considerable amount of difficulty to the artist because of its size and subject. However, it brought her many orders and callers. She could have sold it 'many times over.' Gardner described the experience:

'I have worked constantly for three months on my large painting of Daphnis and Chloë and finished it, I think, successfully. Being the largest I had undertaken (172.7 x 116.8 cm.; 5.7 ft. x 3.8 ft.), it gave me no end of thought and work. It left of the 24th for the exhibition, and the Jury for admission have sent me a word of congratulation doubly gratifying because Monsieur Bouguereau was not there to be accused of favoring me as his pupil, as the jealous artists always think.

On the 20th (March) I gave a reception in the afternoon inviting the best of my American friends and only a few French as I wanted to avoid a jam. About 100 came and as many of my particular friends stayed all the afternoon it was constantly lively. All the rooms were open and I believe they looked prettily... I wore my pretty new bronze and blue dress. There were three stylish men to wait on the guests and Toinette (her maid) really did wonderfully well... it was the most brilliant thing I have ever done. I requested the papers to say nothing about the reception. I am delighted to have my pictures praised but personally I desire to belong to my friends and not to the public.'"

To be continued

(Excerpts from "Elizabeth Jane Gardner: Her Life, Her Work, Her Letters," MA Thesis by Charles Pearo, McGill University, 1997.)