Meta-Impressionism
Finances
When am I going to make a living?
Introduction:
The ‘impressionist’ expositions were (also) held by the artistst to make themselves known and to sell their art-works. It is known that several of them have gone through periods of (severe) poverty. Others were well to do and even could support their colleagues. Others were ‘amateur’ painters in the sense they had a job.
What did people need in those days to make a living? What were average wages?
What were the revenues from sales of art-works? What expenses did an artist make?
On this page we will try to find answers on these questions.
The problem is that the information given is very fragmented. Often it is not indicated to what year(s) the information applies. I have no inside in inflation in France in the second half of the 19th century, but I assume that the Franco-Prussian war in 1870/71, the economic resessions in the early 1870s and 1880s had influence on how much a franc was worth and how many francs you needed to make a living. So, I will render the fragmented information from my sources and try to draw some conclusions.
Poor ‘impressionists’:
Several partakers of the ‘impressionist’ expositions have gone through periods of (severe) poverty. Who were they? When did they suffer poverty?
Claude Monet, Camille Pissarro, Lucien Pissarro, Auguste Renoir and Alfred Sisley all knew for years of financial difficulties.
But how poor, were these ‘poor impressionists’?
In 1914 Lucien Pissarro reacts on an article on the poverty of Monet in his early life (late 1860s): “… the Monets seemed to me quite bourgeois compared to us. Little Jean Monet had a cupboard full of the most magnificent toys. That does not sound like living on potatoes! (…) And the large 1870 picture in the exhibition, the portrait of Mme Monet in a black silk dress, does not resemble poverty. But it does make good business, when it seems you are starving of hunger!’ Still, Monet recalled to Lucien that sometimes he had no money to eat (…) and that he was kept from starving by the bread which Renoir stole for him from his mother’s table. (R312,p143/4)
The father of Renoir was a tailor, so you can say he came from a middle-class family. Still, in his teenage years Renoir earned his money as a decorative painter. He often was dependent on the support of his friend Bazille and his parents. He owned money by several commissions for portraits (R31,p11/12)
For Lucien Pissarro money was never plentiful. (R312,p97) Still, living in England he made many trips to Paris and Eragny.
Allowences:
Many of the partakers of the ‘impressionist’ expositions that couldn’t make a sufficient income for themselves, received an allowance from their parents or others. How high were these allowences?
Paul Cézanne his father gave him a monthly support of 150 francs (in the 1860s) (R34,p17), so 1800fr a year.
Claude Monet received an allowence from his father and his aunt, but they objected his relationship with Camille, namely after the birth of their son Jean 1867/08/08 (R22I,p61+67+76).
In 1894 Camille Pissarro sent his son Lucien 200fr a month, which was enough to live on (R312,p76), so 2400fr a year.
Amateur painters:
Some partakers of the ‘impressionist’ expositions did paint in their free time next to their jobs.
Probably in 1867 and 1868 Camille Pissarro and Armand Guillaumin earned money by painting sun-blinds and shop signs (R5,p49;R1,p190;R179,p17+18;R116,p124;R312,p22).
Untill 1892 Guillaumin did his painting alongside a job. At the end of 1868 Guillaumin worked 3 nights at a Bridges and roads department; he had to dug up and transport away faeces laying in the drains (R179,p18;R4,p144). He did so he could paint during the day; he was extremely poor (R4,p144;R1,p173). Late 1880s a promotion to overseer, his marriage and sales of his paintings, improved his financial situation (R179,p41). But, the real years of independance began when Guillaumin won a lottery in 1891 (100.000 francs) and became financially independent. (R179,p49;R310,p45;R1,p566;R7,p256).
Well to do ‘impressionists’:
Some partakers of the ‘impressionist’ expositions were quite well to do and didn’t have to sell their art-works. Some could live on the returns on family capital, such as Gustave Caillebotte, Edgar Degas and Berthe Morisot. Henri Rouart was a rich industrialist. Also related artists like Edouard Manet and Fredéric Bazille came from rich families.
Bertall remarked 1879/06/01 in L’Artiste that Caillebotte “has an annuity (rent income) of 100.000fr” (R2,p251;R90I,p212).
Becoming rich:
Since 1881 the art-dealer Durand-Ruel made gentleman’s agreement with impressionist painters, Monet, Pissarro, Renoir and Sisley, which implyed that he had the right on the complete production of paintings in exchange of advance payments that garanties the livelihood of the artists (R2,p377). The correspondences between them, show that he wasn’t very accurate in this payments.
Early 1886 Sisley cancelled the agreement (R166,p44-50). He would not be successfull afterwards and died poor in 1899.
In 1882 alone Durand-Ruel spend almost 30.000 francs to Renoir (R31,p28). Renoir had always received commissions for portraits. In 1892 the state bought ‘Jeunes filles au piano’ for 4000 francs. This financial prosperity is translated in his frequent travels (1881-1898) and in buying a house in Essoyes in 1895 and the estate ‘Les Colettes’ in Cagnes in 1907 (R31,p12).
Later in his life Claude Monet was quite well to do. In 1892 he lend money to Camille Pissarro and in 1906 to Lucien Pissarro. In 1900 he owned a car. In 1919 he had 5 gardeners working for him. (R312,p67+100+105+167)
Wages in other professions:
What did people in those days earn in other professions?
Workers at stone quarries earned around 3 1/2 francs a day, which was about three times higher than the average rate for manuel labour (R59,p157). So this makes about 18 francs a week, 72 francs a month and 864 francs a year for a stone quarries worker. And 6 a week, 24 a month and 288 francs a year for a manuel labour.
Around 1859 a young man could live from 125 francs a month (1500 francs a year) (R22I,p25).
(Around 1874) 1.000fr was a years salary for 1/3 of civil servants (R410,p222).
(ARound 1875) the year salary of a tax collector was 1.700fr (R4,p147).
(Around 1877) a general practitioner in Paris had a years wages of around 7.500fr (R88II,p453).
Around 1887 an unskilled workman earned 60 centimes an hour (R312,p45), so about 6fr a day, 36fr a week, 1800fr a year.
A skilled worker earned about 1750 francs a year (around 1891?) (R179,p49).
(Around 1874) 100fr was an equivalent of 450 nowadays (R410,p222).
Revenues from sales:
An artist had to sell his art-works to make a living. What were the revenues they received from their sales?
At the late 60s Père Martin gave Camille Pissarro 20fr for a small and 40fr for a large painting (R312,p22).
In 1867 Bazille bought a large painting (CR67) from Monet for 2.500fr (RI,p67).
In 1868 Arsène Houssaye bought ‘Camille’ (CR65) from Monet for 800fr (RI,p74).
Late 1870 Durand-Ruel payed 400fr to Pissarro for 2 paintings (R312,p24)
In 1872 Durand-Ruel bought 25 paintings from Sisley and the next year 29 for 200fr each (R166,p44;R410,p227), so 5.000fr and 5.800fr.
At the Hoschedé sale at Hôtel Drouot 1873/02/17 a still life of Monet was sold for 780fr (R410,p224).
At an auction 1876/04/14 at Hôtel Drouot a painting of Monet was sold for 2.020fr (R22I,p119=CR387).
At the 1st ‘impressionist’ exposition in 1874 there were a few works sold: of Béliard (for probably 150fr), Latouche (250fr for no.69), de Molins (1200fr), Monet (800fr for no.98=CR263), Léon Ottin (200fr), Sisley (1000fr for no.163) and of Cals (2570fr). (Rewald 1955=R415,p365-367). And also a work of Renoir for probably 1.000fr (no.144= 1F100) (R460,p124;R411). The asking prices for the paintings counted an average of 1.141fr, according to the first version of the catalogue (R411). (See also the Société…)
The total sales of Monet per year were in 1872: 12.100fr (for 38 paintings; including 9.800fr from Durand-Ruel for 29, so an average of 338fr a painting); in 1873: 24.800fr (including 19.100fr from Durand-Ruel for 25+9=34 paintings, so an average of 562fr); in 1874: 19.554fr; in 1875: 9.765fr; in 1877: 15.197,50fr (R22I,p99+100+110+117+130).
Around 1886 Claude Monet charged 1200fr for his paintings for his dealers (R1,p532)
In 1889 Lucien Pissarro sold to Goupil 25 prints of his wood engravings at 5fr each (R312,p46)
1890: paintings of Camille Pissarro were sold for 2100 and 1400fr (R312,p46).
In 1891 Camille Pissarro received 3000 à 4000fr for his paintings (R312,p62).
Revenues per year:
Some artists kept an account book (which has been preserved).
In the account book of Boudin we find the following amounts of revenues a year: 600fr (1854); 1.380fr (1855); 3.905fr (1856); 3.450fr (1857); 1.590fr (1858); 1.715fr (1859); 2.327fr (1860); 1.410fr (1861); 1.002fr (1862); 967fr (1863); 2.307fr (1864); 2.040fr (1865); 2.455fr (1866); 3.465fr (1867); 2.965fr (1868); 4.420fr (1869); 17.325fr (1872); 28.675fr (1873); 18.320fr (1874); 4.904fr (1875); 2.710fr (1876); 4.904fr (1877); 2.100fr (1878); 6.807fr (1879); 2.482fr (1880); 16.210fr (1881); 17.545fr (1882); 15.100fr (1883). (R318,p197-207)
Expenses as an artist:
Income is revenues from sales minus expenses. So what were these expenses?
As an artist you hade to buy canvases, paint and so on. You also travelled to other interesting places to paint and had to pay for lodgings. Artists often rented a studio.
In 1863 Claude Monet had to pay 3,75 francs for a full-pension at the Inn ‘Cheval-Blanc’ (R22,p49), This makes 112,50 a month.
Around 1910 Lucien Pissarro paid 3 francs a day for a full pension in a hotel (R312,p119), so 21fr a week.
In 1868 Monet rented a studio for 800fr a year (at the Place / Rue Pigalle, no 1) (R22I,p61).
General expenses:
Expenses not typical for an artist are rent and eating outdoors.
1865: about 2/3 of the population paid less than 250 francs a month rent in Paris, the rest paid between 250 and 1500 francs (iR3).
1868: Eugène Boudin remarks to his brother Louis: ‘Beef is priced at 30 cents per pound.’ (R318,p202)
1874/10/01: Monet signed a rental contract of 1.400fr a year for his house in Argenteuil.
1887: Lucien Pissarro could take lunch in a cheap restaurant for 1 franc (R312,p44).
Rent:
Boudin payed the following amounts for rent (often for more than one location and also temporary locations): 170fr (1860); 265fr (1861); 2.000fr (1865). (R318,p199-201)
The economic situation:
The possibility to sell paintings also depents on the economic situation and the art-market. Here below you will find some remarks on this.
The French-Prussian war (1870/71) influenced the economic situation.
Since 1873 there was an economic slowdown (R2,p145).
The Durand-Ruel Gallery suffered a lean period from 1874 to 1880 (R2,p146).
1876/03/17 Boudin remarks ‘If Paris were under siege, it would be easier to sell a painting than it was this year.’ And also: ‘The situation is desperate: failures, bankruptcies’ (R318,p205)
Sources:
Meadmore (1962=R312); Wildenstein (R22); Denvir (R5); Rewald (R1).
See link for the musea (=M). For other general references (=R) see. For other references to internet sites (=iR) see. For other additional references (=aR) see below. See links for practical hints and abbreviations and for the subscription of the paintings.
Further readings:
x
Additional references (=aRx):
- x
Recommanded citation: “Meta-Impressionism: finances; when am I going to make a living? Last modified 2026/04/01. https://www.impressionism.nl/finances/”
Note: additional info and pictures will follow.