Paul Chocarne Moreau, Late 19th/early 20th Century.

Watercolor and gouache painting "The Little Street Vendors," signed lower left Chocarne Moreau. Located in the Place de la Concorde, the painting shows, behind the children, the Obelisk and the Hôtel de Crillon, and in the background, a few people, one or two horse-drawn carriages, and even a cyclist. Paul Charles Chocarne was born on October 31, 1855, in Dijon, and died on May 5, 1930, in Neuilly-sur-Seine. From a family of artists, his father taught painting, and he was the cousin of Mathurin, Hippolyte, and Auguste Moreau. He entered the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris, where he studied under Tony Robert-Fleury and William Bouguereau. He exhibited for the first time at the Salon des Artistes Français in 1882 under the name Paul Chocarne Moreau, and thereafter participated regularly. In 1886 he received an honorable mention, in 1889 a bronze medal at the Universal Exhibition, in 1900 a second-class medal, and in 1906 he was made a Knight of the Legion of Honor. A realist painter, his paintings depicted children and Parisian street vendors, always presented with humor and playfulness. He painted the little chimney sweep and the baker's boy, choirboys, schoolchildren, and small shopkeepers, all of them committing a few harmless little pranks, always with humor and without malice—just a few mischievous little rascals, with a roguish air, the heirs of Gavroche. Late 19th or early 20th century. Dimensions: giltwood frame 83 cm x 103.5 cm, image size 57.5 cm x 78 cm.