This is Reading the News, by the incomparable James Jacques Joseph Tissot (1836-1902). Born in France, Tissot lived in London for much of his life, and produced many paintings of beautifully dressed and fashionable women. Despite the title, it's the elegant woman who is the focus of the painting, while the reading man leans in from the side. His hat makes me think he might be a sailor. What's their relationship, I wonder, and what is she thinking?
