The Cradle

Berthe Morisot

1872 · Oil on canvas · Musée d'Orsay, Paris

Size2:3 ratio

Frame

$59Unframed print · made to order

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Giclée-printed to order on heavyweight matte fine-art paper

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About this work

Artist: Berthe Morisot (1841–1895)
Year: 1872
Medium: Oil on canvas
Original size: 56 × 46.5 cm
Collection: Musée d'Orsay, Paris
Movement: Impressionism

Morisot's sister Edma watches over her sleeping daughter Blanche, drawing the gauze curtain of the cradle between the baby and the viewer. Painted in Paris in 1872, it is the first image of motherhood in Morisot's work, a theme she would return to often, and it is built on a single diagonal running from the mother's gaze and bent arm through the baby's mirrored arm to the draped curtain. The palette is pared back to whites, greys and a touch of pink, the brushwork fluid, the mood one of protective intimacy. Morisot showed it at the first Impressionist exhibition in 1874, the only woman to take part. It was noticed for its grace but did not sell, and she withdrew it; it stayed in the family until the Louvre bought it in 1930. It is now the best-known painting in the Musée d'Orsay's Morisot holdings.

This exhibition-poster edition shows the whole work beneath original typography set in-house. The original is in the public domain.

Details & materials

• Exhibition poster — original, drawn in-house • Heavyweight matte fine-art paper, giclée printed at 300 DPI • Sizes: 12×18, 16×24, 24×36 in; 16×24 and 24×36 also available framed in black or natural wood • Made to order; colours may vary slightly from screen

Shipping & returns

Produced in 2–4 business days, then shipped from the facility nearest you. Delivery is typically 3–6 business days (US/UK/EU) and 5–12 worldwide. Because each print is made to order we don't take change-of-mind returns, but if it arrives damaged or flawed we'll reprint or refund it — no return needed. Full policy →

Is this the whole painting, or a crop?

The whole work, uncropped. The exhibition-poster edition sets the complete image above typography designed in-house.

Is The Cradle (Le Berceau) in the public domain?

Yes. Berthe Morisot (1841–1895) died more than 70 years ago and the work was published before 1929, so the painting itself is public domain. This print is a reproduction made from a high-resolution scan of the original, which is held by Musée d'Orsay.

What is it printed on?

Heavyweight matte fine-art paper with pigment inks, made to order in 12×18, 16×24 and 24×36 inches; the two larger sizes are also offered framed. Colours are matched to the scan, not brightened.

When was The Cradle (Le Berceau) painted, and in what medium?

The Cradle (Le Berceau) dates from 1872 and was made in oil on canvas; the original measures 56 × 46.5 cm.

What size works above a sofa or bed?

For a standard three-seat sofa or a queen bed, 24×36 inches reads as a single statement piece; 16×24 suits a narrower wall or a pairing. The print's proportions follow the original, so a landscape-format painting is wider than it is tall.

About this design

A museum-exhibition poster of Berthe Morisot's The Cradle — The Cradle — a mother gazing at her sleeping baby through the white veil of a cradle — shown whole and uncropped beneath gallery typography. Impressionism and The Modern Woman, styled as a blockbuster exhibition print. A gallery-style exhibition poster: a celebrated public-domain artwork shown whole and uncropped beneath original exhibition typography set in-house — printed to order on heavyweight matte fine-art paper. Three sizes (12×18, 16×24, 24×36 in); the 16×24 and 24×36 are also offered framed. Part of the Madten Exhibition Posters Collection. — — — Printed to order and shipped by our production partner, Gelato.

Buy with confidence

The Madten promise

Gallery-grade archival giclée. Rich pigment inks on heavyweight fine-art paper (or gallery-wrapped canvas) — built to last, not a poster-shop print.

Arrives perfect or we reprint it — free. Every piece is made to order; if it shows up damaged or flawed we remake it, no return needed.

Free worldwide shipping. Made & shipped from the facility nearest you — most orders arrive in ~4–8 business days.

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