A Girl with a Watering Can

In the pictureA little girl stands at the edge of a dirt garden path, her body turned to the right. A red bow sits on her fluffy blond hair, and her blue eyes, rosy cheeks and slightly smiling mouth can be seen. Her dark blue dress has broad white and blue lace around the neckline, down the front and along the hem, and a row of white buttons runs down the front. In one hand she holds a green watering can, and in the other a few white daisies. On her feet are blue button boots. At the upper left and lower left are flower beds blooming with red and pink flowers, and on the right a pale pink dirt path stretches out. At the lower right are the signature and 76.

BackgroundRenoir painted it in 1876. From around this time he painted many pictures of women and children. There have been various claims about who the model was, but nothing is certain, and she is thought most likely to have been a neighbor's child. A girl with similar blond hair and clothing appears in other paintings by Renoir as well. The brushwork is more even and delicate than in his landscapes, and the face in particular is softly painted with layered small touches. Chester Dale bought it in 1931, and it entered the National Gallery of Art in Washington through his bequest in 1963.

Puzzle tipThe girl's blue dress, blond hair and red bow form a distinct column in the middle, so start there. The green watering can and the white lace serve as markers for placing pieces within the dress. Next, fit the pink dirt path and signature at the lower right and the red flowers in the bed at the upper left. The hardest part is the green lawn covering the top and left of the picture; use the bluish tufts of grass at the middle left and the blossoms of the rosebush at the lower left as references. 100 pieces works well.