A multitalented master, Pierre Carrier-Belleuse was the son of Albert-Ernest Carrier-Belleuse, a famous sculptor whose studio was attended by Auguste Rodin. After training with his father, the future artist enrolled at the Parisian École des Beaux-Arts, the studio of Alexandre Cabanel. One of his teachers was Galland, a popular decorator. Carrier-Belleuse debuted at the Salon in 1875 as a master of genre painting and portraits, and he later worked in the pastel technique. His characters were often ballet dancers. In the 1880s–1890s, he was famous for his paintings depicting typical Parisian views, which conveyed the atmosphere of the French capital very precisely. In the painting from the Museum collection, the Place Pigalle is seen from above, with its small shops, bakery, grocery, and billiard room on the corner. On the square we can see local people and nannies with children wearing fashionable clothes. Interesting details of ordinary life, recognizable places and characters, and the masterful light effects in Carrier-Belleuse’s paintings brought him fame. Such paintings were always eagerly purchased.