The Widow or The Waterloo Widow

“The Widow” or “The Waterloo Widow” was first shown in 1891 at the Royal Academy show in London with the title of “The Waterloo Widow” where the memory of the Battle of Waterloo was still widely remembered.  In 1892 the painting was sent to New York for the Academy of Design annual show.  Millet being sensitive in America that the Civil War was more relevant the title was shortened to just “The Widow.”

The model for the widow was Millet’s wife Lily, and the family still owns several of the items on the sideboard in the background and the sideboard is currently owned by a private club in Boston.  The dress was donated by Lily in 1912 to the Metropolitan Museum of Art in NYC and their Costume Institute collection currently owns the 26 pieces from Millet’s costume collection.

Unfortunately, the painting was partly damaged in a fire and has lost some of its original dimensions, but otherwise is still intact.