# The Lovers

- By: James Tissot (French, 1836–1902)
- Date: 1872
- Medium: oil on canvas
- Classification: Painting
- Dimensions: Unframed: 101 x 61.5 cm (39 3/4 x 24 3/16 in.)
- Culture: France, 19th century
- Credit line: Partial gift from Ralph and Terry Kovel and Family, and partial purchase from the John L. Severance Fund
- Museum: [Cleveland Museum of Art](https://clevelandart.org/art/2022.140)
- Rights: [Public domain (CC0)](https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/)
- Picture: https://invisiblenetwork.ai/thumbs/cma/2022.140/2022.140_web.jpg
- Who can see it: Teens profiles and older (museums give no ratings; placed by Invisible Network from the museum's own words)

James Tissot lived in London in 1871–82 where he established a reputation as painter of elegantly dressed women in modern, fashionable settings. This painting, made at the beginning of his London period, was designed to appeal to Victorian audiences who enjoyed art that hinted at narrative. Here, a young couple enters an upholstered interior, leaving a sunlit garden. The woman’s gesture suggests contemplation; might she be considering a proposal made by the man who follows closely behind her? Their exchange, ultimately, remains mysterious.