Caillebotte Paris on Rainy Day Couple Under Umbrella Pin Gold Brooch Museum Jewelry 2.1H

The Caillebotte Umbrella Pin: Two Strollers, One Umbrella

A couple walks arm in arm beneath a single umbrella, cast in gold plated pewter. This Caillebotte umbrella pin is cut from one corner of Gustave Caillebotte's Paris Street; Rainy Day, painted in 1877.

The painting hangs at the Art Institute of Chicago. It holds twenty-four pedestrians. This Caillebotte brooch lifts one pair out of the crowd and gives them the stage.

Product Details

• Material: 24K gold plated pewter
• Dimensions: 2.1 in H x 0.9 in W
• Origin: Made in USA
• Product number: 4037

Haussmann's New Paris

Baron Haussmann rebuilt Paris from the 1850s under Napoleon III. Narrow lanes gave way to wide boulevards and pale limestone facades. Caillebotte painted that new city.

His view shows a junction near today's Place de Dublin, close to his own home. A green lamppost splits the canvas in half. Wet cobblestones shine under a gray sky. Any Paris street scene brooch has a lot to live up to.

The Couple Under the Umbrella

The man wears a top hat, an open overcoat and a cravat. The woman wears a brown wool gown, a fur toque and a veil. Both stare past the viewer.

Art historian Mary Morton reads them as proper and a little entitled. Caillebotte cut them off at the knees, so they seem about to walk out of the frame. The Caillebotte umbrella pin keeps that sense of motion.

Impressionist Art Jewelry With a Sharp Eye

The original is nearly 7 ft tall and 9 ft wide. Most Impressionists used loose, flickering brushwork. Caillebotte stayed sharp and exact, with strict perspective. Impressionist art jewelry is usually soft and floral, so this Caillebotte brooch is a change.

Wearing and Display

Pin the Caillebotte umbrella pin to a raincoat, a wool blazer or a hat band. The pewter is light, but thick fabric holds it best. Wipe it dry after a wet day. A Paris street scene brooch looks best alone on dark wool.

Find more small paintings in metal in our Museum Jewelry Pins and Brooches. They sit well with Impressionist art jewelry of every period.

About Gustave Caillebotte

Gustave Caillebotte lived from 1848 to 1894. He showed with the Impressionists and also bought their paintings, which helped them survive. Paris Street; Rainy Day is his best-known work. The Caillebotte umbrella pin is a small way into it.

For More Reading from the Web

• A Paris street scene brooch starts with this painting. Walk through its angles and umbrellas. Paris Street; Rainy Day - Annenberg Learner
• Meet all twenty-four pedestrians, from the strolling couple to the house painter with a ladder. A Caillebotte brooch shows only two. Paris Street; Rainy Day - Wikipedia