The eldest daughter of Ilya Repin Vera (1872-1948) is 2 years old in this portrait. It was started in the summer of 1874 in Velay, France, where the artist was on a scholarship trip. Upon his return to Paris, the artist repainted it and changed the composition. In a letter to V.D. Polenov from Velay (June 1874), Repin wrote that “Verunka was adorned with poppies... and she, believe it or not, sat for me in the pose of a republican woman of the First Republic”. During the work process, the artist decided to get rid of the abundance of poppies “in every fold”, so now only the pale pink flower on the girl’s straw hat reminds of their presence. Difficulties in portraying little children are well known. And although it was the first such experience for the artist, he managed to convey the ingenuousness of the child, creating an extremely elegant portrait
State Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow