Bourgeoisie women were excluded from professional institutions and the city's life, symbolized here by the black fence that separates them from the urban landscape in the background.

Haussmann
A new city landscape

Bourgeoisie
A new upper-middle class

En Plein Air
Painting outdoors

Berthe Morisot, View of Paris from the Trocadero, 1871-2, oil on canvas, 18 1/8 x 32 1/8 in., Santa Barbara Museum of Art, Santa Barbara, California.

Being excluded from the city's everyday life, female artists often resorted to domestic scenes. Here, Morisot focuses on motherhood by portraying her sister Edma and her daughter Blanche.

Bourgeoisie
A new upper-middle class

Realism
Depicting contemporary life

Berthe Morisot, The Cradle, 1872, oil on canvas, 56 x 46 cm, Musée d'Orsay, Paris.

In this painting, Morisot depicted the bourgeoisie- the new French middle class- through an unknown woman with a lavish dress. The loose brushwork is a characteristic of the Impressionists' style.

Bourgeoisie
A new upper-middle class

Realism
Depicting contemporary life

Berthe Morisot, Young Girl in a Ball Gown, 1879, oil on canvas, 71 x 54 cm, Musée d'Orsay, Paris.

Morisot showcases here a few Impressionist characteristics- painting outdoors, a loose brushwork, and the depiction of natural light with its effects on water.

Light & Color
Depicting the effects
of natural light

En Plein Air
Painting outdoors

Berthe Morisot, The Harbor at Nice, 1882, oil on canvas, Private Collection.