Signature lower left
On the back the stencil mark of the canvas merchant Hardy Allan
Presented in its period frame
A larger version of this painting (145 x 207 cm) was presented by the artist at the Salon des Artistes Français in 1888. The originality of its subject and composition contributed to its success, and the painting was acquired at the Salon by the city of Paris on 24/7/1888. The painting belongs to the permanent exposition of Le Petit Palais, musée des Beaux-arts de la Ville de Paris. It can be admired on the ground floor (room 4) of the museum. As was often the case with successful paintings, the artist created a number of copies on a smaller scale for acquisition by wealthy citizens.
Auguste Joseph Truphème was specialized in genre scenes, especially school scenes, and portraits, his paintings were reproduced in the press of the time, such as Le Petit Journal illustré. He was the younger brother of the sculptor François Truphème (1820-1888).
Auguste Truphème was a student of William Bouguereau, Hippolyte Flandrin and Jean-Jacques Henner. He exhibited at the Salon des artistes français from 1865 until his death. He was director of the higher drawing course of the City of Paris.
Furthermore, he is represented in the museums of Paris, Aix-en-Provence, Carpentras, Louviers and in the Orsay museum.