The Orange Picker (also catalogued as Under the Orange Tree) is an 1889 oil painting by French Impressionist Berthe Morisot, held in the collection of The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art in Kansas City ^[3][4]. The work depicts a woman reaching into the branches of an orange tree, a subject that unites Morisot’s signature focus on female figures with the Impressionist concern for capturing light and fleeting moments ^[1][3]. Painted near the end of her career, the canvas exemplifies the loose brushwork and luminous palette for which Morisot was celebrated by critics such as Gustave Geffroy, who in 1894 named her one of Les trois grandes dames — “The three great ladies” — of Impressionism alongside Marie Bracquemond and Mary Cassatt ^[1].

Provenance: the Nelson-Atkins Museum record

The painting’s institutional provenance is documented in the primary record of the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, which lists the work under the title Under the Orange Tree ^[4]. The museum’s catalogue entry serves as the authoritative source for the object’s current location and identification ^[3][4]. The work is also recorded in Wikidata as a painting by Morisot with the inception date of 1889 and dimensions of 54.6 × 65.7 cm ^[3].

Attribute	Recorded detail
Artist	Berthe Morisot (1841–1895) [1][2]
Title	The Orange Picker / Under the Orange Tree [3][4]
Date	1889 [3]
Medium	Oil on canvas (per catalogue record) [3][4]
Dimensions	54.6 × 65.7 cm [3]
Collection	The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art [3][4]

Artist: Morisot and the Impressionist circle

Berthe Marie Pauline Morisot (14 January 1841 – 2 March 1895) was a French painter and printmaker who belonged to the circle of Parisian artists known as the Impressionists ^[1]. She first exhibited at the Paris Salon in 1864, listed as a student of Joseph Guichard and Achille-François Oudinot, and her work was selected for six subsequent Salons ^[1]. In 1874, she joined the “rejected” Impressionists in their first independent exhibition, held at the studio of the photographer Nadar, alongside Paul Cézanne, Edgar Degas, Claude Monet, Camille Pissarro, Pierre-Auguste Renoir, and Alfred Sisley ^[1]. Morisot participated in all but one of the eight Impressionist exhibitions held between 1874 and 1886 ^[1]. She was married to Eugène Manet, brother of her friend and colleague Édouard Manet ^[1].

Dating: the 1889 inception record

The verified catalogue records the painting’s inception date as 1889, a fact supported by the Wikidata entry for the work ^[3]. This places The Orange Picker in the final decade of Morisot’s life, six years before her death in 1895 ^[1]. The dating is consistent with the artist’s late-career output, though the catalogue does not specify the exact circumstances of the commission or the identity of the model ^[3][4].

Subject and iconography: the female figure in nature

The painting’s subject — a woman picking oranges — belongs to Morisot’s broader body of work depicting women in domestic and natural settings ^[1]. The iconography of the orange picker connects the figure to the orchard landscape, a theme that recurs in the artist’s oeuvre ^[1][3]. The title variant Under the Orange Tree emphasizes the arboreal setting, while The Orange Picker foregrounds the woman’s labor ^[3][4]. The work’s modest dimensions of 54.6 × 65.7 cm suggest an intimate scale typical of Morisot’s canvases ^[3].

Technique: Impressionist brushwork and palette

Although the catalogue record does not provide a detailed technical analysis of the painting’s brushwork, Morisot’s documented practice as an Impressionist — her participation in the movement’s exhibitions from 1874 to 1886 — situates the work within the stylistic parameters of loose, fluid brushstrokes and an emphasis on light effects ^[1]. The painting’s orange and green palette, implied by its title and subject, aligns with the artist’s known interest in capturing the vibrancy of outdoor scenes ^[1][3]. The work’s medium is recorded as oil on canvas in the museum’s catalogue ^[3][4].

Collection history: the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art

The painting is held in the permanent collection of The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art in Kansas City, Missouri ^[3][4]. The museum’s online record for the work, catalogued under the title Under the Orange Tree, provides the primary source documentation for the object’s current location and identifying details ^[4]. The catalogue does not record a prior ownership chain or exhibition history for the work ^[3][4].

Critical reception: Morisot’s standing among the Impressionists

Morisot’s reputation among her contemporaries was considerable. Art critic Gustave Geffroy described her in 1894 as one of Les trois grandes dames, “The three great ladies,” of Impressionism, alongside Marie Bracquemond and Mary Cassatt ^[1]. This contemporary recognition underscores the significance of works such as The Orange Picker within the broader Impressionist canon ^[1].

Frequently asked questions

When was The Orange Picker painted?

The painting is dated 1889, according to the verified catalogue record ^[3].

Where is The Orange Picker located?

The work is in the collection of The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, where it is catalogued under the title Under the Orange Tree ^[3][4].

What are the dimensions of The Orange Picker?

The painting measures 54.6 × 65.7 cm ^[3].