From the 1930s onwards, Braun et Cie, as it had now become known, developed a speciality of producing reproductions on canvas, by a printing technique known as ‘giclée’, a French term meaning ‘sprayed’, referring to the operation of a printer which uses small spraying devices that can match colours and apply ink with precision, producing high quality prints of original art. Often the originals were reproduced on a much smaller scale, as here, which rather adds to their charm, although full size reproductions are known as well.

The two pictures we have are by Monet. ‘Les Coquelicots’ (Poppies) was exhibited in 1874 in the first Impressionist exhibition held in the photographer Nadar's disused studio. Now one of the world's most famous paintings, it conjures up the atmosphere of a summer's day in a country field. The lady with a parasol and the child accompanying in the foreground her are probably the artist's wife, Camille, and their son Jean. ‘Le Repos sous les Lilas’ (Lilacs) was painted around the same time but not included in the first Impressionist exhibition, a catalogue for which still survives. Both, though, depict scenes around Argenteuil where Monet settled in 1871 and were bought in 1873 by the dealer Durand-Ruel. They can be found today in the Musée d'Orsay, Paris.

The reproduction paintings are dated 1953 and 1973 respectively by their labels but the frames are a clear pair so are probably near contemporary with the latter. The choice was sympathetic, mirroring the style of the late nineteenth century and add considerably to the decorative impact of the images. A modest souvenir, then, of one of the greatest French Impressionists and at an affordable price!