Famous Paintings of Reading and Writing

Letters, books and libraries: painted moments of quiet concentration.

45 paintings, with works by Camille Corot, Edgar Degas, Thomas Eakins and Gerard ter Borch. Most often they suit the home office, dining room and staircase.

45 paintings

The Dance Class, Edgar Degas, 1874, oil on canvas

Edgar Degas The Dance Class, 1874 The Met

To our left, a young woman sits facing us on a low stone wall at the base of the vertical, black bars of an iron fence and a young girl stands facing away from us to our right in this horizontal painting. Both have pale skin.

Édouard Manet The Railway, 1873 National Gallery of Art

Jean-Honoré Fragonard Young Girl Reading, c. 1769 National Gallery of Art

A young woman in a dark hat and coat with light ruffled collar sits reading a large periodical held up in her gloved hands. Flowers and foliage are suggested behind her.

Édouard Manet Woman Reading, 1880–82 Art Institute of Chicago

A pensive faced woman sits, slightly hunched, holding a book.

Camille Corot Interrupted Reading, c. 1870 Art Institute of Chicago

Saint Jerome as Scholar, El Greco, ca. 1610, oil on canvas

El Greco Saint Jerome as Scholar, ca. 1610 The Met

A light-skinned woman in a long, shiny white dress sits at a desk reading a book. The book is propped on a large red pillow. Her head is propped in her hand.

Thomas Lawrence Isabella Wolff, 1803–15 Art Institute of Chicago

Long scroll ink painting depicting people with their animals and belongings crossing a river.

Unknown artist Yang Pu Moving His Family, Yuan dynasty (1279–1368) 元朝 Art Institute of Chicago

The Young Emperor Akbar Arrests the Insolent Shah Abu’l-Maali, Page from a Manuscript of the Akbarnama, Basawan, Mughal dynasty (1526-1857), c. 1590-1595, opaque watercolor and gold on paper

Basawan The Young Emperor Akbar Arrests the Insolent Shah Abu’l-Maali, Page from a Manuscript of the Akbarnama, Mughal dynasty (1526-1857), c. 1590-1595 Art Institute of Chicago

Madame François Buron, Jacques-Louis David, 1769, oil on canvas

Jacques-Louis David Madame François Buron, 1769 Art Institute of Chicago

Reading, Berthe Morisot, 1873, oil on canvas

Berthe Morisot Reading, 1873 Cleveland Museum of Art

The Writing Master, Thomas Eakins, 1882, oil on canvas

Thomas Eakins The Writing Master, 1882 The Met

Figure in Hammock, Florida, John Singer Sargent, 1917, watercolor, gouache, and graphite on white wove paper

John Singer Sargent Figure in Hammock, Florida, 1917 The Met

Padre Sebastiano, John Singer Sargent, ca. 1904–6, oil on canvas

John Singer Sargent Padre Sebastiano, ca. 1904–6 The Met

Allegory of Lyric Poetry, François Boucher, 1753, oil on canvas

François Boucher Allegory of Lyric Poetry, 1753 The Met

The Love Letter, Jean-Honoré Fragonard, early 1770s, oil on canvas

Jean-Honoré Fragonard The Love Letter, early 1770s The Met

L'Arlésienne: Madame Joseph-Michel Ginoux (Marie Julien, 1848–1911), Vincent van Gogh, 1888–89, oil on canvas

Vincent van Gogh L'Arlésienne: Madame Joseph-Michel Ginoux (Marie Julien, 1848–1911), 1888–89 The Met

Oleanders, Vincent van Gogh, 1888, oil on canvas

Vincent van Gogh Oleanders, 1888 The Met

Allegory of the Catholic Faith, Johannes Vermeer, ca. 1670–72, oil on canvas

Johannes Vermeer Allegory of the Catholic Faith, ca. 1670–72 The Met

Sulking, Edgar Degas, ca. 1870, oil on canvas

Edgar Degas Sulking, ca. 1870 The Met

A pale-skinned woman sits at a table leaning over an open book in a brightly lit room in this loosely painted, horizontal scene.

Camille Corot Woman Reading in the Studio, c. 1868 National Gallery of Art

A Woman Reading, Camille Corot, 1869 and 1870, oil on canvas

Camille Corot A Woman Reading, 1869 and 1870 The Met

Two pale-skinned women sit together surrounded by five sheep and a dog in a lush forest in this vertical painting. The woman to our right sits slightly above the other, with her arm draped around the shoulders of her companion.

François Boucher The Love Letter, 1750 National Gallery of Art

Study for "The Dancing Lesson": The Boy, Thomas Eakins, probably 1877, oil on canvas

Thomas Eakins Study for "The Dancing Lesson": The Boy, probably 1877 National Gallery of Art

Shown from the knees up, a pale-skinned woman wearing a black dress with white cuffs and a wide, starched collar sits in a wooden chair against a dark brown background in this vertical portrait painting.

Rembrandt van Rijn An Old Lady with a Book, 1637 National Gallery of Art

Arrangement in Black: Girl Reading, James McNeill Whistler, ca. 1880–90, oil on wood

James McNeill Whistler Arrangement in Black: Girl Reading, ca. 1880–90 The Met

A bearded and balding man with deeply tanned skin, dressed only in a strip of robin’s egg-blue fabric around his shoulders and hips, sits reading a book on a rock at the entrance to a craggy cave, in front of a landscape in this vertical…

Giovanni Bellini Saint Jerome Reading, 1505 National Gallery of Art

Shown from about the knees up, a pale, smooth-skinned woman in a fur-lined yellow jacket looks out at us as she sits writing at a table in this vertical painting. The woman’s body faces the table to our left.

Johannes Vermeer A Lady Writing, c. 1665 National Gallery of Art

A man sitting in a tall, upholstered armchair reads a newspaper in this vertical portrait painting. The man and the room in which he sits is loosely painted with bold, visible strokes throughout.

Paul Cézanne The Artist's Father, Reading "L'Événement", 1866 National Gallery of Art

Pierre-Auguste Renoir Young Girl Reading, c. 1888 National Gallery of Art

Thomas Eakins Study for "The Dancing Lesson": The Banjo Player, probably 1877 National Gallery of Art

The Letter, Camille Corot, ca. 1865, oil on wood

Camille Corot The Letter, ca. 1865 The Met

A long, brightly lit room is filled with at least nine young ballerinas in robin’s egg-blue dance costumes and pale pink shoes in this wide, horizontal painting. They all have light skin and brown or dark blond hair.

Edgar Degas The Dance Lesson, c. 1879 National Gallery of Art

Virgin and Child with Saints Catherine of Alexandria and Barbara, Hans Memling, early 1480s, oil on wood

Hans Memling Virgin and Child with Saints Catherine of Alexandria and Barbara, early 1480s The Met

We look slightly down onto a wooden table or buffet with a basket of fruit, a vase of pink and white flowers, a book, and a small tray holding a teacup, saucer, and two oranges in this horizontal still life painting.

Henri Fantin-Latour Still Life, 1866 National Gallery of Art

This painting shows a young boy sitting on a wooden rocking chair next to a dark metal stove. He is leaning forward with one arm extended towards the stove door, which is partially open, revealing bright orange light.

Eastman Johnson The Early Scholar, c. 1865 National Gallery of Art

Mrs. Sylvanus Bourne, John Singleton Copley, 1766, oil on canvas

John Singleton Copley Mrs. Sylvanus Bourne, 1766 The Met

Samuel Mifflin, Charles Willson Peale, 1777–80, oil on canvas

Charles Willson Peale Samuel Mifflin, 1777–80 The Met

The Music Lesson, Gerard ter Borch, c. 1670, oil on canvas

Gerard ter Borch The Music Lesson, c. 1670 Art Institute of Chicago

Curiosity, Gerard ter Borch, ca. 1660–62, oil on canvas

Gerard ter Borch Curiosity, ca. 1660–62 The Met

Madonna and Child Enthroned with Two Angels, Fra Filippo Lippi, ca. 1440, tempera and gold on wood, transferred from wood

Fra Filippo Lippi Madonna and Child Enthroned with Two Angels, ca. 1440 The Met

A woman playing a lute sits next to a table, on which a man perches and leans toward her in this vertical painting. Two people look on from the background. All the people have pale skin.

Jan Steen Ascagnes and Lucelle (The Music Lesson), 1667 National Gallery of Art

A woman wearing a pale yellow silk dress sits playing a lute in front of a table while a man, wearing a black suit and hat, stands behind her in this vertical painting. Both have light skin.

Gerard ter Borch The Music Lesson, c. 1670 National Gallery of Art

Virgin and Child, Hans Memling, ca. 1490–94, oil on wood

Hans Memling Virgin and Child, ca. 1490–94 The Met

The Hatch Family, Eastman Johnson, 1870–71, oil on canvas

Eastman Johnson The Hatch Family, 1870–71 The Met

Rooms these paintings suit

Styles