In the late nineteenth century, as society underwent rapid change, artists sought new ways to depict the lives of modern people. Industrialization and urban ization created new classes, occupations, and ways of living that dramatically altered daily life in the city. Members of these emerging social groups wanted their likenesses captured in paint.

For centuries, portraiture had been the preserve of aristocrats and the elite. But during this period, artists turned to portray people from many walks of life in Paris, opening a new chapter for portrait paint ing. What mattered was no longer simply who the sitter was, but the character and type of person they represented. At the same time, the distinctive style of each artist came to the fore, allowing portraiture itself to become a space for expressing artistic indi viduality.