The Seamstress by Jules Trayer

The Seamstress
Signed
Oil on Panel
18” x 15”

Jules Trayer
French 1824 – 1908

Jules Trayer was a French painter of landscapes and genre. Born in Paris in 1824, he was a pupil of his father and Lequien.

The Seamstress, set in a simple Breton cottage, depicts a young woman selecting fabric for her new apron. The seamstress is holding the cloth, while the young woman feels the texture and admires the colour.

Jules Trayer has used a muted palette to accentuate the crisp white of the starched bonnets, covering the red under bonnets of the two women – these bonnets, worn for protection and modesty, varied in design from village to village. Light streams in from the window, illuminating the soft blue material and the faces of women, with their creamy skin and fresh country completions.

Both women are wearing the traditional wooden sabots of the region – practical and hard-wearing shoes, worn by both men and women in mid-nineteenth northern France. The red cloak, neatly folded on the wooden chair adds a splash of colour in the foreground and draws the viewer into the painting. Jules Trayer has portrayed an every day scene, with great sensitivity and produced a painting of superb quality and charm.

A successful artist in his day, Jules Trayer exhibited at the Paris Salons, gaining 3rd class medals in 1843 and at the Universal Exhibition of 1855. His works can be found in the museums of Breziers, La Rochelle, Lille, New York, Sydney and Toulouse.

© Sutcliffe Galleries 2018

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