Pierre Grassou, called Fougères after his birthplace, works hard and paints badly in the crowded Salons of post-1830 Paris. His friends mock him and the critics ignore him, yet his patience, his politeness and a bourgeois family in search of portraits steadily carry him toward fortune, honours and a good marriage.
A short, sardonic story from the Human Comedy about the market for art and the rewards of mediocrity. Download the free EPUB.