Pierre-Auguste Renoir (1841-1919) Luncheon of the Boating Party, 1880-1881 Oil on canvas Acquired 1923

French Culture in 1880

In t he upper left hand corner of Luncheon of the Boating Party, beyond the awning, Renoir included the blue-gray outline of the Chatou railroad bridge -- a visual reminder of the government's recently completed transportation projects that had made this riverside fête possible. By the 1860s, new French railroad lines changed many rural areas along the Seine River surrounding Paris into suburban sites for leisure. The railroad crossed the winding path of the Seine River, providing weary Parisians with many accessible weekend retreats. From his Paris studio, Renoir, for example, could walk ten minutes to the Saint-Lazare train station and catch -- on the half hour -- a train for the suburbs. One of Renoir's favorite places was the town of Chatou where, on a nearby island along the Seine River, he painted Luncheon of the Boating Party that depicts a group of his friends on the balcony overlooking the Seine at the Maison Fournaise.

Once the exclusive domain of the upper class, the riverside towns of Bougival, Asnières, Argenteuil, and Chatou were transformed into popular retreats for all members of society. Many amusements including guinguettes (see vocabulary list below), dance halls, bath houses, boat rentals, and sailing clubs were established to cater to the growing numbers of weekend revelers. Bougival was known for La Grenouillère, a popular spot for swimming, boating and dancing where, in 1869, Renoir and Monet first painted scenes of riverside leisure. The natural characteristics of the Seine often determined the sport of choice in certain towns. In Chatou, the popular pastime was rowing, while in Argenteuil, where the river was somewhat wider, sailing prevailed.

A Parisian traveling to the suburbs would be sure to have change in his/her pocket. This five franc piece, dating from 1874, would be enough to buy either two roundtrip train tickets from Paris to Chatou or an inexpensive lunch at a riverside restaurant.

The Maison Fournaise

Parisians would flock to Chatou's Maison Fournaise to rent rowing skiffs, eat a good meal, or stay the night. In 1857, the entrepreneur Alphonse Fournaise bought land in Chatou to open a boat rental, restaurant, and small hotel for the new tourist trade. From the mid 1870s, Renoir often visited the Maison Fournaise to enjoy its convivial atmosphere and rural beauty. He painted scenes of the restaurant, as well as several portraits of Fournaise family members and landscapes of the surrounding area. In fact, Renoir occasionally traded paintings with the Fournaise family for food and lodging.

The restaurant welcomed customers of many classes including bourgeois businessmen, society women, artists (Renoir and Caillebotte), actresses, writers (Guy de Maupassant), critics and, with the new, shorter work week--a result of the industrial revolution--seamstresses and shop girls. This diverse group embodied a new, modern Parisian society that accepted, as it continued to develop and advanced the French Revolution's promise of  liberté, egalité, fraternité.

In the late-nineteenth century, Parisians flocked to the suburbs in search of leisure activities. This poster advertises Bougival's Bal des Canotiers, or the boaters'’ dance, where weekend revelers enjoyed drink, dance, and music. Near Chatou (the location of Renoir's Luncheon of the Boating Party), Bougival was also a popular spot for impressionist painters.

Poster translation:

Bougival
Boaters' Dance
Opening June 8
Every Sunday
Departures from St. Lazare Train Station
Every hour on the half hour
Return trips guaranteed until midnight

What does the Maison Fournaise look like today?

Click here to see website of Maison Fournaise. You can read the menu in French!

Click here to see the Fournaise Museum. (in French!)

Fashion in the 1880s

Just as they do today, people in Renoir's world learned about fashion from magazines. This fashion plate illustrates the trends of 1881. Similar to Renoir's friends in Luncheon of the Boating Party, these women are dressed for a day of boating on the Seine river. Hats, parasols, and flannel dresses were typical fashions for women rowers.