Man and Two Women Talking

Constantin Guys, deemed "the painter of modern life" by friend and critic Charles Baudelaire (1821-1867), was famous for his scenes of fashionable Parisian society. Here, a dapper man in a waistcoat and top hat is deep in conversation with an elegantly dressed woman while a second woman looks to the viewer instead. The stylish ladies, with their fitted dresses, ankle boots, and plumed small caps, suggest a date of around 1890.