art-Matisse.com

Renoir first painted Jeanne Samary in early 1877, producing two oil portraits
that show her bust-length against a background of flickering, multi-colored
brushstrokes. The same year, he also made a pastel portrait of the actress
and portrayed her on a pair of plaster medallions. In the earlier of the two oil
portraits, Samary is dressed simply in a dark blue dress with a white collar
buttoned to the neck; the palette of the painting is somber, and Samary's
expression is reticent. - art-Renoir.com