Self-Portrait with Black Dog

This painting took Courbet four years to complete, working on it without instruction, which he was very proud of. It shows Courbet at age 23 with a black dog, which was apparently a present from a friend.
Courbet flatters himself, showing off his silk-lined coat and a book, which constructs himself as a reader. In this painting, like many others, Courbet works to construct his identity in the picture, and shows his pride and defiance in his facial expression. This painting was the first painting of Courbet's, shown at the Salon of 1844.