On the Terrace

Renoir worked on this painting while on the terrace of the Maison Fournaise — a restaurant located on an island in the Seine in Chatou, a western suburb of Paris. The painting shows an older girl (‘the elder sister’) seated with a little girl (‘the younger sister’) beside her who is looking directly at the viewer. Over the railings of the terrace, one can see dense foliage against the background of the Seine. Renoir loved this location. Between 1880-1881, and shortly before working on Two Sisters, Renoir worked on this particular site for another well-known painting – Luncheon of the Boating Party. Jeanne Darlot, a future actress who was 18 years old at the time, posed as ‘the elder sister’. It is unknown who posed as the ‘younger sister’, but it is believed the models were not actually related.