Paul Chocarne Moreau (1855–1930) – The Little Street Vendors

Gouache watercolor, “The Little Street Vendors,” signed lower left Chocarne Moreau. Set at Place de la Concorde, one can distinguish, behind the children, the Obelisk and the Hôtel de Crillon, and in the background a few figures, one or two horse-drawn carriages, and even a cyclist.

Paul Charles Chocarne was born on October 31, 1855, in Dijon, and died on May 5, 1930, in Neuilly-sur-Seine. From a family of artists, his father taught painting, and he was the cousin of Mathurin, Hippolyte, and Auguste Moreau. He entered the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris, where he studied under Tony Robert-Fleury and William Bouguereau. He first exhibited at the Salon des Artistes Français in 1882 under the name Paul Chocarne Moreau, and then participated regularly. In 1886 he received an honorable mention; in 1889 he was awarded a bronze medal at the Exposition Universelle; in 1900 he received a second-class medal; and he was made a Knight of the Legion of Honor in 1906.

A realist painter, in his works he stages children and small Parisian trades, always presented with humor and mischievousness. He painted the little chimney sweep and the young baker’s boy, altar boys, schoolchildren, and small vendors—each committing a few gentle little pranks, always with wit and without malice, just a few lovable little rascals with a streetwise air, heirs to Gavroche.

Period: late 19th or early 20th century.
Gilt wood frame dimensions: 83 cm x 103.5 cm; sight size: 57.5 cm x 78 cm.