This work depicts Charles Pigeon and his wife laying in bed. He is dressed in a business suit and props himself up on the right side of the bed while his wife lies down completely. A blanket covers them partially. They do not look at each other ...but appear to be in thought. He holds a notebook with his right hand...using a finger to keep his place since he is not reading at the moment. An angel is set at the center of the bedpost.
Unfortunately a search does not reveal the artist. However, this website (
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"Born Le Mesnil-Lieubray (Normandy) 1838, Died Paris 1915.
Only son of Pierre and Sophie Pigeon (married in 1825), Charles-Joseph worked as a salesman at the Bon-Marché where he became friends with Erenest Cognacq, the future developer of La Samaritaine.
He opened a business that sold, repaired, and maintained light fixtures at 33 rue de Cherce-Midi in Paris.
Gradually his studio began transforming lamps to work with fuel around 1875.
His curiosity for using mineral spirits produced his first tubular lamp in cast iron under his name two years later.
Eight million of these non-explosive lamps were produced at the new factory on rue Montgolfier in 1902 (3rd arrondissement, close to les Halles).
Charles Pigeon ordered a tomb for 18 members of the family built in 1905.
He inaugurated the next factory, 2 rue Claude Vellefaux (10th arrondissement) the following year which produced 500,000 examples a year.
His wife died March 9, 1909, and his son, George in 1910.
Charles Pigeon died at his home, 54 rue de Rennes in Paris on March 18, 1915."
There is also a brief Wikipedia page at (
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