Why it matters
Rousseau shows himself with his palette before an idealised Paris, with the new Eiffel Tower, the Pont du Carrousel and the shadow of a hot-air balloon behind him. He called it a 'portrait-landscape' to claim a place between the two genres.
Did you know?
- It was painted in 1890.
- His two wives' names are written on the palette.
- He wears the insignia of an honour that was awarded to a namesake, never to him.
Based on the Wikipedia article Myself, Portrait-Landscape (CC BY-SA 4.0).
