William Adolphe Bouguereau: La Petite Esméralda

William Adolphe Bouguereau (French, 1825-1905) *La Petite Esméralda* signed and dated ‘W BOUGUEREAU 1874’ (lower left) oil on canvas 35 x 21½ in. (88.9 x 54.6 cm.) Painted in 1874, Image Source: wikimedia

“The subject is Emeralda, the young gypsy who taught her goat tricks in order to earn her subsistence in The Hunchback of Notre Dame (Notre Dame de Paris) by Victor Hugo. The tragic figure of Esmeralda, who meets her end through the machinations of the Church based on charges of which she is completely innocent, is however, typical of the young peasant girls who figure so predominantly in Bouguereau’s art…The softened colors and the slight nostalgic smile of young Esmeralda imbues the painting with a sort of melancholy and sadness. Perhaps the young gypsy is thinking of her brave soldier, or perhaps this simply presages the tragedy that is yet to unfold around this poor young girl.”
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