Large 19th-Century French Engraving "La Fille adoptive" in Giltwood Frame - 25½" x 31"

A large 19th-century engraving titled La Fille adoptive( "The Adopted Daughter" ) also known as La Séparation ("Separation"),  engraved by Paul Girardet after a composition by Constant Joseph Brochart (1816 -1889). The scene unfolds as a carefully staged moment of emotional transition: a child is entrusted by her modestly dressed mother to a wealthy lady, suggesting themes of sacrifice, social ascent, and maternal devotion. The composition is rich in narrative detail, from the prepared garments awaiting the child’s new life to the expressive gestures and faces of the figures, which convey a quiet but profound emotional tension.

Presented under glass in a simple gilt frame, likely original, with a softly worn surface and minor losses consistent with age. The paper shows light age toning, scattered foxing, and a slightly mellowed surface, all commensurate with its period.

Constant Joseph Brochart (1816–1899) was a French painter known for his refined portraits of young women and children, characterized by a delicate, idealized finish. He also produced occasional intimate and tender domestic scenes such as _La Fille adoptive_, reflecting 19th-century bourgeois taste for sentimental scenes centered on family, emotion, and social roles.

Note: We also offer for sale the pendant work, La Vraie Mère (“The Real Mother”), after Brochart, which continues the narrative with a moving scene of reunion. Together, they would hang beautifully above bedside tables to frame a bed, or in a romantic sitting room.