Here, Caillebotte joins the most influential Impressionist painters who sought inspiration from their gardens, most notably his contemporary and friend Claude Monet. Both avid gardeners, Caillebotte and Monet had mutual admiration and support for each other’s work. By the time Caillebotte painted this scene, he had purchased several of his friend’s paintings, becoming a benefactor and advocate for Monet’s success. In a letter to Caillebotte, Monet once wrote, “My dear friend, don’t forget to come Monday as agreed, all my irises will be in bloom.”

Caillebotte’s beloved family estate, now the Propriété Caillebotte Museum, has recently been fully restored to its mid-19^th century form. The mansion, park, gardens, and even the artist’s studio, are as Caillebotte would have found them. The grounds host the grand neoclassical-style mansion, an aviary, greenhouse, chapel, the Swiss Chalet – decorated in a style favored by the artist’s father – and the Ferme Ornée, which is now an exhibition space. In 2014, the museum presented an exhibition of 43 masterworks by Caillebotte, including this 1877 painting of the gardens, alongside works from the collections of the National Gallery in Washington, D.C., and the Musée d’Orsay.